BEST FRIEND
by DCSBadGirl
Summary: Sean's best friend from Wasaga Beach is transferring to Degrassi. His friends are concerned that this old buddy will encourage Sean to fall back into old habits. Friendships will be challenged and secrets will be revealed. Please read and review!
1. Summary

_**  
BEST FRIEND**_

_Summary_

_  
Sean Cameron is finally getting his life back together. He is trying to excel in academics, succeeding in sports, and even considering getting back together with Emma. Suddenly, Sean's best friend from Wasaga Beach transfers to Degrassi. His friends begin to worry that this "old buddy" from Wasaga will encourage Sean to fall back into "old habits." _

Sean soon discovers that his friend has been carrying around a dark secret, and this secret will challenge the loyalty of their friendship. Will this secret break the ties Sean has with his Degrassi friends? And will it effect his relationship with Emma? Be prepared to see the different sides of Sean come out as he handles this situation and as he discovers the true meaning of friendship.

Think you know who Sean Cameron REALLY is? What better person to tell you than his best friend! 

**These events occur IN PLACE of Season 4 (in other words, all of season four has not happened and will not happen)**

**The character of Devon (or at least her "look") was inspired by an actress named Eileen Boylan. (She was a temporary character in General Hospital in the past. Apparently, she's now part of the cast of a show called "South of Nowhere")**


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1  
  
"Can you believe this?" JT asked as he peeked through the window into the computer lab.  
  
"What?" Toby asked as he zipped his backpack closed.  
  
JT pointed at what he was observing. Sean was sitting at a computer surrounded by three girls. "Look at that—they're practically hanging on to his every word! He's been constantly surrounded by women since he and Ellie broke up!"  
  
Toby shook his head. "No—he's been constantly surrounded by women ever since he got his license to drive his motorcycle."  
  
JT leaned against his locker and crossed his arms. He watched as the three girls waved good-bye to Sean and smile flirtatiously. He sighed sadly. "He has taken all of our ladies!"  
  
Toby looked at his insane friend. "What are you talking about? What ladies?"  
  
"OUR ladies, Toby! Our man, Sean, is single and every girl in Degrassi is after him."  
  
"Why are we wasting time talking about Sean, JT?" Toby asked uninterested.  
  
"I've decided that the only way for us to increase our chances to meet girls is to take Sean off the market," JT explained.  
  
"Really? And what do you plan on doing?"  
  
"Hey, Emma!" a voice called out.  
  
JT and Toby turned around and saw Manny walking down the hall towards her best friend.  
  
JT stared at Emma for a moment, then looked over at Toby and grinned.  
  
Toby knew exactly what his friend was thinking. "Oh no..." he muttered.  
  
"Oh YES!" JT replied back. "If Sean dates a 'certain someone' he will be out of the way and our door will be open to the 10th grade women of Degrassi!" He grabbed Toby's sleeve to pull him towards the computer lab.  
  
"Guess who's back in school?" Manny asked Emma.  
  
Emma glanced through the doorway and saw Sean sitting at one of the computers. Sean was out of school for a week because of a motorcycle accident. She realized then and there how much she still cared for him when she found out that he could have been killed. Ever since the accident she decided to try to be close to Sean again. She looked over at Manny. "I know. I've been thinking of a way to approach him."  
  
Manny rolled her eyes. "Em, this is SEAN—not some Hollywood movie star! Just talk to him—you know...like you USUALLY do!"  
  
Emma nodded but stayed frozen in the doorway staring at Sean. She felt the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. It was like 7th grade all over again.  
  
"How's the arm, Sean?" Sean looked up and saw JT and Toby hovering over his shoulder.  
  
Sean lifted up his splinted left arm and smirked. "This isn't where the damage is, guys." He sighed. "You should see my bike. ...Or what's left of it." Sean was in a motorcycle accident the week before. He was taking a curve a little faster than he should have. Miraclously, he slid into some bushes and only got a sprained wrist and a few scrapes and bruises. His bike, on the other hand, slid at least 100 feet down the concrete road. Today was his first day back at Degrassi since the accident and he was in Mr. Simpson's computer lab checking the million e-mails of assignments his teachers sent to him to make up. He sighed when he saw a long list of e- mails pop up on the computer screen in front of him. "I don't get it!" He slouched in his chair and shook his head with disbelief. "I've only been gone for a week and it looks like it will take me the rest of the term to catch up!"  
  
JT looked up and noticed Emma and Manny talking in the hallway outside of the computer lab. He smiled lightly. "Well...maybe you should take advantage of the situation." He nodded his head towards Emma. "You can ask Emma to help you study."  
  
Sean looked up to take a quick glance at Emma, then looked back down to continue skimming through his e-mails. He pretended to brush off JT's last comment, but a part of him really wanted to ask for Emma's help. They hadn't studied together since they dated a few years ago. He was always able to grasp things so much easier when he studied with her. ...Or maybe it was the fact that he was around someone so positive like her that made him want to do better. He shook the thoughts out of his head to focus back on reality. "I'm not going to ask Emma for any help." He started typing on the computer. "It would be too weird."  
  
JT and Toby looked at each other and smirked. They knew he would say that. "Sean, Emma broke up with Chris last year..." Toby pointed out.  
  
"And you broke up with Ellie this summer because she had to move when her dad got transferred," JT added. "You and Emma have finally made it to the point where you can be in a room alone together and have a civil conversation ...AND you're BOTH single." He crossed his arms and looked over at Toby. "This is definitely going to be the year."  
  
Toby nodded in agreement.  
  
Sean stopped typing for a moment to throw an annoyed glance towards his nosy friends. "...the year?" he repeated.  
  
"Yes," JT answered. "This is going to be the year you and Emma get back together. You guys have already gotten together and broken up twice. What's one more time?" He looked up and cleared his throat when he noticed Emma approaching them. He leaned towards Sean and tapped him on the shoulder. "Now's your chance," he whispered quickly before he and Toby scattered to their seats.  
  
"Hey, Sean," Emma replied with a warm smile. She sat down next to him and saw his splinted wrist. "How's your wrist?"  
  
Sean returned her with a nervous smile. He lifted up his wrist for her to see. "This damage isn't even going to compare to the damage my brother will do to me if I don't pass the 10th grade." He pointed at his list of assignments.  
  
Emma pulled out a folder from her backpack and slid it next to Sean. "I copied my notes for you. I'm sure they'll help you with your assignments." She was about to stand up to move to her seat next to Manny but stopped. "Oh, and Sean..." she said nervously.  
  
Sean looked at her to wait for what she was going to say next.  
  
"I can help you study...that is...if you need help." She replied.  
  
In the corner of his eye, Sean saw JT nudge Toby. He quickly threw a dirty look at them, and JT slipped him a hidden "thumbs up." He turned back to look at Emma and nodded coolly. "Sure," he answered calmly with a quick shrug of the shoulders. "I could use all the help I can get!" He quickly went back to skimming through his e-mails. He was afraid that if he looked at Emma long enough, she would notice how excited he really was about her offer to help him.  
  
"Well...okay," Emma said as calmly as she could to mask the built up excitement she had inside. "Just let me know when you—"  
  
"Oh my god!!" Sean exclaimed with his eyes glued to his computer screen.  
  
Emma looked up to see what Sean was looking at. Out of curiosity, JT and Toby got up from their seats to also see what Sean was surprised about.  
  
JT read the name on top of the opened e-mail Sean was reading. "Who's Devon Simmons?"  
  
Sean looked at Emma, JT, and Toby with a huge grin on his face. "Devon is a buddy of mine from Wasaga Beach."  
  
Emma skimmed through the e-mail and realized why Sean was smiling. "Looks like your friend is transferring to Degrassi this year."  
  
Sean nodded. "The two of us got into so much trouble in Wasaga. We constantly pulled pranks on people, got into fights...and served many sessions of detention together." He laughed lightly and shook his head. "I can only imagine the mess Devon is going to get the two of us into here in Degrassi." He turned away to finish reading his e-mail as JT, Toby, and Emma stood up and went to their seats.  
  
JT and Toby sat down in their seats. "So what do you think about Sean's friend coming to Degrassi?" JT asked.  
  
Toby shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know." He looked over at JT puzzled. "Am I supposed to care?"  
  
JT rolled his eyes. "This guy sounds exactly like another "Sean". Which means that he will be getting a lot of attention from—"  
  
"getting into trouble?" Toby interupted.  
  
"No," JT shook his head. "Another 'bad boy' in Degrassi? That only attracts more ladies!" He rested his hand against his cheek and sighed. "Getting Sean out of the way will be no problem." He looked over at Toby. "But what are we going to do about this friend of his?"  
  
As Emma sat down in her seat next to Manny, Manny smiled and her eyes sparkled with excitement. "Well...what did he say?"  
  
Emma gave her a small smile. "He accepted my offer for me to help him study."  
  
"That's great!" Manny replied back. She looked at her friend closely. "Why do you look so disappointed? I thought you wanted to try to get close to Sean again."  
  
"I do..." Emma replied. "But when I was talking to him, he was reading an e- mail from one of his friends."  
  
"So?" Manny didn't understand where Emma was getting at.  
  
"It was a friend he used to get in trouble with when he was living in Wasaga."  
  
"Oh..." Manny realized what Emma's concern was about. "Em...Sean moved away from Wasaga three years ago. He's changed a lot since then...especially this past year. He's a completely different person now."  
  
Emma nervously nodded her head. "SEAN may be a different person now..." she looked over at Sean who was still beaming over the e-mail he received. "It's his friend that I'm worried about." She looked back at Manny. They were both thinking the same thing: What if this "old buddy" from Wasaga Beach encourages Sean to fall back into "old habits"? 


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
"Hey, girls! What's happenin'?" Paige asked as she walked up the front steps of the school to greet her friends. Terri and Hazel looked up and smiled as they watched their friend approach them.  
  
"I can't believe you're so calm this morning, Paige." Terri replied. She held up her book. "I've never known you to be perky about one of Kwan's infamous English exams."  
  
Paige shrugged and pulled out a compact from her purse. "Oh, please, Terri," she answered back as she powdered her nose. "It's only a test. Besides, we've got the whole term ahead of us. No need to worry about this first te—" She stopped when she realized that her voice was being drowned out by a large roar.  
  
At that moment, a motorcycle pulled up and parked in front of the school steps. The driver of the motorcycle wore a solid black helmet with a tinted shield, a flannel top, baggy khakis, and black boots.  
  
Terri raised her eyebrows and glanced at Paige and Hazel. "Who's he?" she asked impressed.  
  
The driver of the bike flipped off its helmet and long, dark locks of hair rolled down.  
  
Hazel's eyes nearly flew out of their sockets. "That 'he'...is a 'she'!"  
  
The mysterious driver hopped off the bike and rested her helmet on the seat to quickly slip off her flannel top, revealing a tight, white T-shirt underneath. At this point, guys walking into the school started to notice her and quickly passed interested glances towards her as they walked by. The girl's form-fitting shirt in contrast with her baggy khakis emphasized her petite figure. She tied the flannel top around her waist, tucked the helmet under one arm and slid her backpack over her other shoulder. She walked up the steps passed Terri, Hazel, and Paige.  
  
"Uh, hon!" Paige called out. "You can't just park in front of the school."  
  
The girl turned around to face Paige and threw her a 'is this girl actually speaking to me?' look. "Um..." she looked back at her bike. "Did you just see me pull up in my bike?"  
  
"Uh, yeah," Paige answered back.  
  
"And did you watch me turn off the engine and walk away from it?"  
  
Paige rolled her eyes. She had no idea where this conversation was going. "Yes," she answered again with an annoyed sigh.  
  
"Well, then, I guess I CAN park in front of the school because I JUST DID," the girl answered back. She started to continue to walk up the steps.  
  
Paige rolled her eyes again and held up her compact to continue powdering her nose. "Did that attitude come with the helmet?" she asked under her breath.  
  
Terri and Hazel giggled at the comment.  
  
The girl stopped and turned around a second time. "Actually, no, the attitude did not come with the helmet," she answered. She looked at the compact in Paige's hand. "Did your make-up come with a PERSONALITY?" With that comment, she turned around and swung open the front door of the school.  
  
Terri, Hazel, and Paige were just left there completely speechless with their mouths hanging open.  
  
***  
  
JT was on his way to class when he noticed a very attractive, dark-haired girl standing at a locker. She was reading a small piece of paper that revealed her locker combination. "These locks are so stupid," he heard the girl mutter.  
  
JT stopped dead in his tracks and smiled. He wanted to take this opportunity to talk to this girl. He walked up to the petite figure and leaned against the locker next to her. "Hi," he said suavely. He briefly lost his breath when the girl looked back at him with her exotic blue-gray eyes. "Allow me..." Before the girl could even respond, he snatched the girl's locker combination out of her hand and attempted to open the locker for her. He lifted the locker handle up. "Here you go—" He started to say, but stopped when he realized that the locker door did not pop open.  
  
The girl smiled and tried her hardest not to laugh.  
  
"That's odd..." JT muttered as his cheeks started to flush with embarrassment. "I thought I read it right..."  
  
The girl took the locker combination from his hand and crumbled it up. "I'm sorry," she replied. "but do I have 'helpless' written across my forehead?"  
  
JT was confused about the question. He admired the girl's perfect complexion. "No," he answered with a smile. "Why do you ask?"  
  
"If I recall correctly, I don't believe I asked for your help," she snapped back. "I think I can take it from here. I've got the universal combination." With that comment, she slid her fist halfway down the locker and slammed it. The locker clicked open with ease.  
  
***  
  
Spinner bounced the basketball in between his legs a few times before shooting. He watched as the ball swished smoothly in the basket. He held his hands up with victory.  
  
"Alright, Spin," Marco said as he ran to grab the ball. "You won AGAIN." He tossed the ball back to Spinner. "Now I have to go! I promised that I'd meet Dylan at lunch!"  
  
"Why?" Spinner asked arrogantly. "Is this sport to 'MAN-ly' for you?"  
  
Marco rolled his eyes. He hated it when Spinner took every opportunity to remind him that he was gay.  
  
Spinner and Marco were playing on basketball court next to the school. In gym class that day, Jimmy made a comment on how Spinner "didn't have any game" when it came to basketball. Spinner decided to take out his aggressions by practicing during lunch and he happened to coax Marco into playing a game with him.  
  
"Alright," Spinner answered back as he bounced the basketball twice. "but after one more shot—" He hopped up and flipped his wrist and watched as the ball rolled off his fingers and into the air. The ball loudly bounced off the rim.  
  
"Nice brick!" Marco said with a laugh. "NOW can I go?"  
  
Spinner sighed disappointedly and nodded. "Okay. Let me just hunt down where that basketball rolled to."  
  
At that moment, the ball flew above their heads and swished beautifully into the basket. The ball bounced on the pavement and rolled passed them.  
  
Spinner turned around to see who tossed the ball into the basket. "That was a nice shot—" He stopped when he saw who the person was. Standing in the middle of the court was a beautiful girl with long dark hair. He smiled at her. "You shoot like a pro!"  
  
"Thanks," the girl answered back as she leaned over to scoop up the basketball. She tossed the ball back to Spinner, then turned around and walked away. "You shoot like a girl," she called over shoulder.  
  
Spinner was in so much shock that he couldn't respond to the girl's comment. He looked over at Marco who couldn't stop laughing. "Shut up," he snapped at his amused friend.  
  
***  
  
"Geez, Spin—haven't you ever heard of deodorant?" JT asked over Spinner's shoulder as they walked through the cafeteria line.  
  
"JT, leave him alone," Paige said as she brushed passed the two of them.  
  
"I'll have you know that I was playing basketball before lunch today." He stopped briefly to quickly smell under one of his armpits. He turned around and noticed Sean standing behind him in line. "Speaking of basketball—how's the wrist, Sean? Will you be able to play in next Friday's game?"  
  
Sean shrugged his shoulders as he grabbed a soda and placed it on his tray. "I'm not sure yet."  
  
Paige paid for her lunch at the cashier, picked up her tray, then preceded to walk towards the table the gang always sat in. She stopped and scowled when she saw that the table was already occupied. Sitting at the table was the girl she argued with in front of the school that morning.  
  
Spinner stopped behind her and looked up to see who Paige was looking at. "Oh, god." He muttered.  
  
"What?" JT asked with Sean closely behind him.  
  
"Looks like 'Miss New-girl-with-an-attitude' is sitting at our table," Paige answered back.  
  
Sean rolled his eyes and shook his head. He didn't understand why these people were so possessive over a stupid lunch table. He walked around them, then stopped when he recognized who they were all staring at. He turned around and looked back at his friends. "Let me handle this," he said seriously.  
  
"I hope he's not planning on making a move on that girl," JT whispered to Paige. "That girl's vicious!"  
  
"More like RUDE," Paige replied back.  
  
The three of them walked closely behind Sean to see what he was going to do.  
  
The girl was about to take a bite out of her sandwich, but slightly jumped in her seat when someone slammed their tray right next to hers.  
  
"You can't sit here," a voice behind her said.  
  
The girl let out a frustrated sigh. First, she was told that morning that she couldn't park her bike in front of the school, and now she was being told that she couldn't sit at a certain table. "Well, guess what—" she said boldly as she stood up. She turned around to get in this person's face. "I'll sit here if I wanna sit—" she stopped mid-sentence when she saw the person standing behind her. "here," she finished.  
  
"You seem pretty brave to be talking to me like that, new girl." Sean stayed in this girl's face and remained in control. "Where did this attitude of yours come from?"  
  
"Do you think Sean would actually hit a girl?" JT asked Spinner.  
  
Spinner looked at JT. "Shut up!"  
  
"Shhh!!" Paige hissed. She was dying to see what was going to happen next.  
  
The girl seemed unimpressed. "Where did I get my ATTIUDE?!" she snapped back. Suddenly, her face softened up and a smile appeared. "Probably from YOU!"  
  
Sean laughed as he quickly embraced his friend. "I just got your e-mail yesterday!" he replied. "I had no idea that you would be here so soon!" He turned around to look at Paige, Spinner, and JT. "Guys, this is my best friend from Wasaga Beach." He pointed to his friend. "This is Devon Simmons."  
  
Paige, Spinner, and JT just looked at each other. They had no idea what to say.  
  
Before Sean could say anything else, an announcement blared in the speakers above their heads. "I need the owner of the motorcycle parked in front of the school steps to come to my office," the principal demanded. "Immediately!!"  
  
Devon looked at Sean and smiled. "It's my first day of school and I'm already being called to the principal's office." She nodded proudly. "That's a new record for me!"  
  
Sean rested a hand on Devon's shoulder. "Let me walk you there," he said with a laugh. "I know EXACTLY where it is!"  
  
As the two of them walked away, Paige looked over at Spinner and JT. "Sean's best friend?" she asked. "From Wasaga Beach?" She shook her head with disbelief. "I don't know about you guys...but she looks like trouble to me."  
  
JT nodded in agreement. "I know," he commented back as he watched Devon walk away. He laughed. "I just never knew that trouble could look so HOT!" 


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
Sean grunted as he turned the page. It was now after school and he wanted to wait for Devon to get out detention. He decided to sit on the front steps of the school and study for his test the next day while waiting. Suddenly, a hand flew down towards him and knocked his notebook to the ground. Sean laughed lightly. He didn't need to look up. He already knew who it was. "I thought you had detention."  
  
Devon tossed her backpack on the bottom step and sat down next to Sean. "Your principal decided to just give me a warning—you know, since it was my first day and all." She shrugged her shoulders. "I wouldn't have minded either way. Sometimes detention is the only time for me to squeeze in a nap in the middle of day."  
  
Sean laughed lightly again as he picked up his notebook from off the ground. He held up his notes in front of her. "I've got a major test tomorrow." He sighed. "But nothing seems to be soaking in!"  
  
Devon smiled. "It's obvious what your problem is, Sean!" She turned her head and noticed a group of people playing basketball then looked back at him. "You're too tense!" She stood up and grabbed his arm. She pointed at the basketball court. "How about a pleasant game of basketball to calm you down?"  
  
Sean lifted up his left arm to reveal his splinted wrist. "I can't."  
  
Devon looked at her friend up and down. "Why not?"  
  
Sean held his arm up to her face.  
  
Devon didn't seem impressed. "So? You're right handed, moron! You need one arm to shoot and you can survive dribbling with one hand, can't you? From what I see, you've got two functional legs to run around, two good arms to shove people out of the way, and one good wrist to shoot!! Besides—it's a beautiful day, we've got time to waste and energy to spend!" She started to make her way to the court, then turned around to look at him. "Unless..." she started.  
  
Sean raised his eyebrows. "Unless, what?"  
  
"Unless you just want to admit right now that you don't want to play because I'm going to beat you anyway..."  
  
Sean paused for a moment to stare at his friend. He picked up his backpack and walked up to Devon until he was right in front of her face. "Let's go," he said then walked passed her towards the basketball court.  
  
Devon smiled as she watched Sean walk away. She knew that it would be easy to convince him to play.  
  
Jimmy and Sully were already deep into their game of basketball when Sean and Devon walked up. They to out of breath and had taken their shirts off earlier to avoid drenching their clothes in sweat.  
  
Jimmy successfully sunk another basket in. Sully grunted with frustration.  
  
"Alright—good job!" Hazel cheered for her boyfriend from a picnic table nearby with Paige sitting beside her.  
  
Sully and Jimmy stopped playing for a moment when they noticed Sean walk up to them.  
  
"Up for more players?" Sean asked.  
  
Jimmy looked down at Sean's splint and smiled to himself. He assumed that it would be an easy game against Sean, considering that he had a slight disadvantage. He tossed the ball to Sean. "Sure."  
  
Sean caught the ball, then placed it down at his feet to quickly take off his shirt.  
  
Sully started to walk off. "You boys have fun. I'm going to sit this one out."  
  
"Why?" Devon asked. "We need an even amount of people for teams."  
  
Sully stopped and turned around. He quickly glanced at Jimmy and they both looked over at Devon.  
  
"You wanna play?" Jimmy asked surprised.  
  
Devon nodded. "Sure! Why not?"  
  
Sully looked at the petite figure standing in front of him and grinned. "Sorry, sweetheart. Only REAL basketball players for this game." He pointed at the table where Hazel and Paige were sitting. "The cheerleaders are over there." He laughed as he lightly tapped Jimmy in the shoulder to laugh along with him.  
  
Devon looked at Sean who shrugged his shoulders, then back at Jimmy and Sully. "REAL players?" she asked again. She crossed her arms. "Care to be more specific?"  
  
"You know," Sully answered back. "Guys only. To help break it down for you—if you can't take your shirt off like the rest of us men, you can't play." Sully and Jimmy laughed again.  
  
"Sully, leave her alone," Hazel called out. "What a sexist thing to say!"  
  
"I'm just calling it like it is," Sully replied back. He looked at Devon, laughed lightly, then started to turn around and continue walking away.  
  
Sean looked over at Devon who looked like she was going to come after Sully. "Don't get into a fight with this guy, Dev. These guys are on the basketball team with me. Sully just says dumb stuff like that all the time. Ignore him."  
  
Devon wasn't paying attention to what Sean was saying. "Hey!" she called out to Sully.  
  
Sully turned back around to look at her.  
  
Devon took the bottom of her shirt and flipped it up over her head to slip it off.  
  
Jimmy and Sully quickly looked at each other. They couldn't believe what this girl was doing. Sean was a little shocked, too, but let out a sigh of relief when he saw a sports bra underneath Devon's shirt.  
  
"So, MEN..." Devon started to say as she tucked in a portion of her shirt in her back pocket so it can dangle behind her. "Does this mean we can play?"  
  
Sully smiled at her and nodded. Devon had completely shut him up.  
  
Sean picked up the ball and started dribbling it around. Jimmy ran in front of him with outstretched arms to attempt to take the ball from him. Sean faked moving to the left and quickly bounced the ball to the right to pass to Devon. Devon caught the ball, ran a few steps, dribbled the ball between her legs, and passed the ball behind her back to Sean before Sully could run up to her. Sean grabbed the ball and hopped up and watched the ball roll off his fingers and into the basket. Devon ran up to Sean to give him a successful "high five". "We still got it!" she exclaimed in victory. She walked passed Sully and winked at him. "Sorry, sweetheart. You've got to move a little faster for this game. But then again..." she pointed back at Paige and Hazel. "maybe YOU should sit over there with the cheerleaders if you feel you can't keep up."  
  
A half-hour later, Manny and Emma walked out of the front doors of the school. "I promised Paige and Hazel that I would talk to her this afternoon. She wanted to discuss 'cheerleading stuff,'" Manny replied to Emma. "It will only take a few minutes if you want to wait. Then, we can go to your house and start studying."  
  
Emma looked over and saw Paige, then her eyes drifted to the basketball court where she saw Sean playing basketball. "Sure," she said distantly while still staring at Sean. Manny started to walk away. Emma quickly snapped out of her trance and realized that she was still standing on the steps. "I'll walk with you!"  
  
Manny turned to look at Emma confused, then looked at the basketball court and noticed Sean. She giggled. "Why, Emma!" she replied jokingly. "Are you actually going to sink so low as to finding any reason to be near Sean...with his shirt off!"  
  
Emma felt herself blush. "Shut up, Manny," she muttered.  
  
Sean caught the basketball Devon passed to him and stopped. He looked at his injured wrist that was beginning to get sore. "Sorry, guys. I need to sit the rest of the game out." He tossed the ball back to Devon.  
  
"I guess I'll go ahead and sit this one out, too," Sully gasped in between breaths.  
  
They both sat on the lawn next to the court. Sean perked up when he noticed two familiar figures walking up to them. "Emma! Manny!" he called and waved.  
  
Manny quickly nudged Emma. "Go talk to him," she said quietly in the corner of her mouth. She waved back at Sean and Sully and continued to walk up to Paige and Hazel.  
  
Emma stopped next to Sean. "Hey, Sean," she replied nervously. She remained standing there awkwardly fishing for something to say. "Ready for the test tomorrow?"  
  
Sean laughed lightly and shook his head. "Not even close. I was just playing some basketball to relieve some stress." At that moment, the basketball rolled towards him and Devon ran after it.  
  
"Sorry," Devon said nearly breathless.  
  
Before she could run back to the court, Sean stopped her and stood up. He looked at Emma. "Emma, I wanted you to meet that friend I was talking about. This is Devon." He looked back at Devon. "Devon, this is Emma."  
  
Emma stared at the attractive girl standing in front of her. THIS was Sean's friend? The infamous friend from Wasaga Beach? She was a little surprised. When she heard about Devon, she pictured a large person who wore leather, yelled a lot, and didn't smile. She imagined someone who looked...threatening. Most importantly, she had an image of a GUY. Instead, she saw a polite and attractive girl standing in front of her.  
  
Devon tucked the ball under one of her arms and raised her eyebrows curiously. "So this is Emma?" she asked grinning mischeviously at Sean. She knew about Sean and Emma's history and was finally glad to meet the girl her best friend was so crazy about. She extended her arm to shake Emma's hand. "It's nice to meet you, Emma," she said. She quickly glanced at Sean. "I've heard SO MUCH about you..."  
  
Sean threw Devon a "don't you dare say anything" look.  
  
Devon took the hint and decided to embarrass Sean another time. "Well—I'm going to go back to the game." She turned around to walk back on to the court.  
  
While Devon walked away, Sully lightly smacked Sean on the shoulder. "Hey, Cameron!" he replied as he grinned flirtatiously. "Your friend there is pretty hot!"  
  
Sean threw Sully a dirty look. He shoved Sulley to break him from his odd trance. He didn't like the way Sully was "scoping" out Devon. He shuttered for a moment. It was actually...disturbing. "Whatever you're looking at..." he said boldly. "DON'T!"  
  
Emma felt a little left out that the guys were focusing all of their attention on the new girl. She cleared her throat to get their attention. "So, anyway, Sean..."  
  
Sean held his hand up to stop her while continuing to throw Sully a threatening look. "Hold on a sec, Em..." he muttered as he walked away. He lightly jogged up to Devon.  
  
Devon bounced the ball twice then stopped when she noticed Sean coming up to her. "What?" she asked innocently.  
  
"Thanks for trying not to be obvious," Sean replied sarcastically.  
  
Devon quickly glanced over at Emma. "So that's Emma, huh? Should I fill her in on embarrasing stories about you NOW or save it for later?" she smirked. Anyway, why are you talking to ME right now. Go talk to her, stupid!"  
  
Sean sighed. "I am...just don't embarrass me." He watched Devon contemplate. "PLEASE!" he begged.  
  
Devon laughed. "Alright! I won't embarrass you! Just do yourself a favor and try not to sound like a babbling idiot around her. It's not exactly a 'turn on.'"  
  
Sean grabbed the ball and playfully threw it at Devon, and they both laughed.  
  
Emma watched Sean and Devon on the side of the court. "What are they talking about?" she wondered. She was a little disappointed to watch Sean chatting with Devon and not her. 


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
Sean leaned against one of the lockers next to his classroom. He closed his eyes and let out a slow sigh. His test was in two minutes.  
  
Devon saw Sean, walked up to him, and gave him a quick shove. "Big test next period?" she asked.  
  
Sean opened his eyes and looked at Devon. "Yep," he answered.  
  
Devon noticed the concerned look on his face. "Don't worry, Sean," she encouraged him. "You're more prepared than you think. Didn't you study all night?"  
  
Sean nodded and frowned. "I studied all that I could last night, but there was still too much material! I didn't get to go over everything!" he started to get nervous. "If I only had one more day..." he started to say, but stopped. "Man...I'm already behind with some assignments. I can't afford to fail a test!"  
  
Devon felt bad for her friend. He was panicking right in front of her! An idea suddenly popped in her head. "What if you GET that extra day to study? Are you POSITIVE that you will be ready?"  
  
Sean nodded. "Well, yeah! I'd do anything to have a little more time—" he stopped when he noticed a peculiar look on Devon's face. "What are you thinking?"  
  
A grin slowly formed in the corners of Devon's mouth. "I bet that you will not be able to take the test until tomorrow."She looked down at her watch. "Just give me 10 minutes."  
  
Sean laughed to himself. "What type of scheme do you have up your sleeve?"  
  
Devon stopped grinning for a moment to look at Sean seriously. "Come on, Sean. I'm wagering a bet here. You in?"  
  
Sean stopped to think for a moment, looked at the unorganized pile of notes in his hand, then looked back at Devon. "Okay," he said. "What are we betting?"  
  
"I'm saying that in exactly 10 minutes after the bell, you will find out that you won't be taking the test today. If I can't pull that off, I'll do your homework for a week."  
  
"And if you DON'T?" Sean asked. "I can't do YOUR homework for a week! I've got enough work as it is!"  
  
"Fine," Devon answered back. "You'll owe me a game of pool."  
  
Sean thought about the terms, then nodded his head. He held out his hand. "You've got a deal."  
  
Devon nodded with approval and shook Sean's hand. As they shook hands, the late bell rang above their heads.  
  
"This better be good," Sean said over the bell.  
  
"TEN MINUTES!" Devon said back to him while taking a few steps backwards.  
  
Sean laughed out loud as he walked in the classroom to take his seat.  
  
Devon turned the corner of the hallway and noticed Mrs. Kwan walking towards her direction with a stack of tests in her hand. Devon grinned to herself, opened the book in her hand, and continued to walk down the hallway pretending to read at the same time. She bumped into Mrs. Kwan and the pile of tests flew out of her arms and scattered throughout the hallway. Devon placed her book on the ground to gather up some of the tests. "I am SO sorry!" she exclaimed.  
  
Mrs. Kwan sighed and forced a smile for the new student's sake. "It's okay." She kneeled down to scoop up the tests that fell to her feet.  
  
At that moment, a group of students turned the corner and entered the hallway of loose tests. They panicked when they saw Kwan in the hallway and quickly scurried to their classrooms before getting a "tardiness" lecture. While they ran down the hallway, they accidently kicked a few of the tests farther down the hallway. They were too scared of Kwan to stop and help.  
  
Devon smiled as she picked up the tests one by one as slowly as she could. She laughed to herself while she watched Kwan chase her runaway tests down the hall. She glanced at her watch. "This is going to be too easy," she thought to herself.  
  
8 minutes later, Sean nervously tapped the eraser to his pencil on his desk as he stared at the clock on the wall. Mrs. Kwan was running late, which was very unusual for her. Suddenly, he heard the door swing open and Mrs. Kwan entered the room.  
  
"I apologize for my tardiness," Mrs. Kwan said to the class. "I had a difficult time..." she paused to think of how to explain her excuse. "gathering the tests."  
  
She walked up and down each row placing a test face down on each desk as she passed by. "You will have until the end of the period to complete this test. Do not start until everyone has received a copy."  
  
Sean looked at the test in front of him, then looked up at the clock. There were 10 seconds left until he officially won his bet with Devon.  
  
Mrs. Kwan passed out the last copy of the test, then walked up to the front of the classroom. "Okay class. You may now flip your tests over and begin—" She was interrupted by a loud ringing.  
  
Everyone in the classroom looked up from their tests and looked around. It was the fire alarm.  
  
Mrs. Kwan suddenly expressed some concern. She knew that there was not a fire drill scheduled for that day. "I need everybody to gather up your things, bring your tests up to the front, and walk towards the nearest school exit. We'll meet in the front steps of the school."  
  
Sean stood up with a sigh of relief and gladly placed his test on Mrs. Kwan's desk with the others.  
  
10 minutes later, the entire school body was gathered near the front steps. The principal walked out the front doors and held his hands up to get everyone's attention. "Folks—this appears to be a false alarm. However, it is still protocol for the firemen to give us the 'okay' to go back inside. In about 15 minutes, I will need everyone to return to their classrooms."  
  
"Alright!" JT exclaimed to his classmates. "There's NO WAY we can take this test today! By the time we get back inside, there won't be time to take it!"  
  
Mrs. Kwan put her hands on her hips. She was not happy with JT's enthusiasm to post-pone the test. However, she knew that he was right. "Class!" she called out to her students. "We'll take the test tomorrow. We'll use the rest of the period today to answer any questions you might have."  
  
Sean cheered along with his other classmates and felt a tap on his shoulder behind him.  
  
"You owe me a game of pool," a voice whispered to him.  
  
Sean smiled. Devon definitely kept her word. He knew better than to doubt his friend's capabilities...even if it WAS for a split second. 


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
"Thanks for helping me with that assignment for Simpson's class, Emma" Sean replied as he opened his front door to walk Emma out.  
  
Emma returned him with a shy smile. "It was no problem."  
  
Sean dug his hands in his pockets as they walked down the porch steps. He was trying to dig around in his head for something to say, but found himself too nervous to respond.  
  
Emma caught on the awkward silence. "Maybe we can hang out some time...when you need a study break or something."  
  
Sean smiled and nodded, relieved that the silence was broken momentarily. "Sure!"  
  
At that moment, Devon turned the corner to walk up to Sean's place. She stopped when she noticed Emma was there. She stepped back to give them some privacy, however, she allowed her curiosity to get the best of her and hid to listen to their conversation.  
  
Emma looked around to try to make a suggestion of how they can "hang out." She noticed Sean's bike a few feet away. "I've never ridden on a motorcycle before." She was hoping that wanting to ride on the back of one would add an "edge" to her and be appealing to Sean. She felt a little disappointed when Sean's reaction wasn't exactly what she expected.  
  
Sean fidgeted nervously. "Uh...I would love to give you a ride...but I haven't started working on it yet, since the accident."  
  
Emma nodded understandingly. "Well...maybe some other time then." She adjusted the strap of her backpack. "I guess I better go. I'll see you in class?"  
  
Sean smiled at her. "See you in class."  
  
When Emma walked away, Devon peeked around the corner. She watched Sean walk up to his bike. He rested his hand on the seat and sighed sadly. It almost looked like he was contemplating on fixing it. Devon was surprised when Sean slid his hand off the bike and walk away. Sean not working on a motorcycle? It was almost unheard of!! Devon suddenly realized that her friend's accident effected him more than he was letting on. As Sean walked up the porch steps, Devon revealed herself from her hiding place. "Hey, buddy!" she called out.  
  
Sean turned around. "Hey, Dev! What's up?"  
  
Devon shrugged her shoulders casually. "Just wanted to see how your test went today?" It was the day after the "fire alarm incident" and Sean was able to have an extra day to study.  
  
Sean smiled slightly as he scratched the back of his head. "It actually went well." He dropped his hand to the side. "Thanks for helping me out. I really needed that extra day."  
  
"No problem," Devon replied back. She quickly changed the subject to discuss the real reason why she dropped by. "I believe it's pay day," she pointed out referring to the "payment" Sean owed her for losing the bet.  
  
Sean laughed lightly as he nodded his head. "I can take a hint." He opened the front door behind him. "Just let me grab my wallet."  
  
When he walked back outside, Devon pointed at his motorcycle. "Up for a race?"  
  
"Definitely not," Sean answered back. "The bike's not even close to being ready!"  
  
Devon grabbed Sean's helmet and tossed it to him. "We can ride together on my bike, then."  
  
Sean caught his helmet and stared at it quietly. He set the helmet back down on his porch. "You know..." he started hesitantly, "it's a nice day out. Where we need to go isn't too far from here. Let's take a walk."  
  
Devon curiously raised her eyebrows. She was surprised with Sean's response, but decided not to say anything.  
  
15 minutes later, they walked into The Dot. Sean smiled at Devon as they walked to the back corner of the hangout towards the pool table. "I can't get over the fact that you're actually HERE in Toronto! It really is good to see you again."  
  
Devon started to set the balls on the pool table and looked up. She noticed a look of guilt on Sean's face and knew what he was thinking. "Sean—for the 100th time, it's okay that we couldn't hang out this summer. You said that your girlfriend, Ellie, was moving away and you wanted to spend time with her before she left. I completely understand!" She smiled reassuringly. "Stop feeling guilty about that." Ever since Sean moved back to Toronto, he and Devon had made an effort to spend their summers together. Sean never wanted to spend his summers in Wasaga because he did not want to see his parents, so he and Devon would spend their summers camping and taking road trips with his brother.  
  
Sean still felt a little uneasy about the situation. It just seemed like they were communicating less and less since summer began, which made him worry that Devon was upset with him. "You never really returned my phone calls this summer," he commented as he leaned over the table to break the set-up rack.  
  
Devon chalked her pool stick. "I was actually busy this summer. I was working two jobs at the time."  
  
Sean leaned against the pool table. "Speaking of jobs...did you move here because your mom actually FOUND a job?" he asked. Their mothers have been best friends since childhood. They grew up together, and ironically enough, became alcoholics together. Devon's mother was never known to keep a job because of her addiction.  
  
Sean was surprised that Devon did not answer his question right away. Devon avoided his eyes for a moment. "Actually...I didn't move here with my mom. I'm actually living with Mrs. Hoffman for a little while." Devon and her mother lived with her grandmother in Toronto when Devon was younger. Mrs. Hoffman was a neighbor and an old friend of her grandmother's. After her grandmother died, Devon and her mother moved to Wasaga Beach. "My social worker sort of set everything up for me."  
  
When Sean heard the words "social worker" he immediately realized that Devon was in the situation she was in because of her mother's alcoholism. He completely understood what Devon was feeling and decided not to continue the subject of their conversation. He never enjoyed talking about his parents and their mistakes. He decided to respect Devon and not ask any more questions about her mother. He looked down at the pool table. "I think it's your turn."  
  
Devon leaned over the table to make her next shot. She quickly changed the subject to focus the attention back on Sean. "Can I ask YOU a question?" She watched as one of the pool balls missed the side pocket.  
  
"Sure," Sean replied.  
  
Devon leaned against her pool stick. "When do you plan on telling me what's bothering you?"  
  
Sean fidgeted. "What do you mean?" He avoided Devon's eyes for a moment as he sunk a ball into a corner pocket.  
  
"I've seen your bike, Sean. It's been two weeks since your accident and you haven't started working on it. If there's ONE pet peeve you have, it's leaving something unfixed. You can't do it! You HAVE to fix something if it's broken, ESPECIALLY if it's got an engine attached to it." When Sean remained quiet, Devon decided to not let this conversation slip. "Sean!"  
  
Sean slammed another ball into a pocket, then stood up and sighed. He turned around to look at Devon. "What?"  
  
Devon walked closer up to him. "You can hide things from your Degrassi friends, but you can't hide anything from ME. I know you too well."  
  
Their conversation was interrupted momentarily by their waitress. "Did you guys want to order anything from the menu tonight?" She asked.  
  
Sean gently took Devon's pool cue from her hand and leaned it against the pool table. "Let me buy you dinner...so we can talk."  
  
"So...how did that study date with Sean go?" Manny asked Emma as they turned the corner to head towards The Dot.  
  
Emma shrugged. "Okay, I suppose," she responded as casually as she could. She glanced back at Manny and knew that her friend wasn't buying anything she was saying. A smile suddenly appeared on her face and she giggled. "It was...nice," she answered honestly.  
  
"Nice?" Manny asked.  
  
Emma nodded. "It was like old times! There I was, trying to act calm and cool—but I was a nervous wreck! It took me every ounce of strength I had to keep from saying something stupid. I ALWAYS say something stupid when I'm nervous around guys."  
  
"I'm sure Sean was just as nervous as you," Manny replied back reassuringly. "You can tell he still likes you."  
  
"I hope so..." Emma muttered under her breath. "...it's just that..."  
  
They both stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. "It's just that...what?" Manny asked.  
  
"Do you know anything about Sean's friend Devon?"  
  
Manny thought for a moment. "All I know is that Page can't stand Devon. She just thought that Devon was rude to her. JT, on the other hand, thinks that she seems tough...and as weird as it sounds...he seems turned on by that! He can't stop talking about her!" She looked back at Emma. "Why? What did Sean tell you about her?"  
  
Emma shook her head. "Nothing! That's what's bothering me! If this girl is his best friend...then why hasn't he ever brought her up before? If Devon is this big part of his life...why don't I know anything about her?"  
  
Manny observed her friend for a moment. She knew exactly what was bothering Emma. "You're jealous!"  
  
Emma jolted her head back with surprise. "What?"  
  
Manny shook her head and crossed her arms. "Emma—your jealous of Sean's friend because she's a GIRL!" She continued to walk down the sidewalk and grabbed Emma's arm to pull her along. "Devon is one of Sean's oldest friends. That's it! Just how me and you are friends with Toby and JT. Sean LIKES you, Em. He wants to date YOU, not Devon." She swung open the door to The Dot and they both walked in. "So, stop worrying---"  
  
Emma gasped and pulled Manny to the side. "There they are!" she whispered hysterically.  
  
"Who?" Manny asked looking around.  
  
Emma pointed to the back corner. Sean and Devon were sitting at a secluded table.  
  
Manny didn't think anything of it. "Hey, there's Sean! Let's go hang out!"  
  
Emma grabbed the sleeve to Manny's jacket. "No!" She looked back at the table. "It just looks like they're deep into their conversation."  
  
They both jumped when the hostess walked up to them. "Table for two?" she asked with a warm smile.  
  
"Um, yeah," Emma responded. She walked up to a table in the front corner of the restaurant. "We want to sit here." As she and Manny sat down, she lifted up the menu towards her face and peeked on the side of it to keep an eye on Sean and his friend.  
  
Manny rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you're spying on him, Em."  
  
"I'm not spying..." Emma replied as she continued to cover her face with the menu. "I'm just not going to let Sean know that we're here. That's all."  
  
Sean dipped another fry in his catsup and tossed it in his mouth. He looked across the table at Devon's food and realized that his friend had not touched it. "Are you not hungry?" he asked.  
  
Devon gave him a look. It was a "tell me what's going on with you" type of look that Sean knew very well.  
  
He sighed and looked shamefully down at his food. "You're right. I've been avoiding my bike since the accident."  
  
Devon rested an elbow on the table. "I bet the accident must have been very scary for you," she said understandingly. "What happened?"  
  
"It was really late Friday night. We won a basketball game and there was a party at Jimmy's place." He looked back at Devon. "Don't worry—there was no drinking going on. I just happened to stay really late talking to the guys. Some of them decided to sleep over, but I couldn't. I promised my brother that I was going to help him in the shop early the next morning, so I needed to get home and get some sleep. The roads that night were pretty empty. It was so late that everyone in Toronto was already home sleeping." He sighed as he crossed his arms and rested them on the table. "I decided to take advantage of the situation and sped up a little. You know, see how fast I can get the bike to go."  
  
Devon smiled to herself. That was certainly understandable. She would have done the exact same thing.  
  
Sean continued. "I guess I must have taken a curve a little faster than I should have. I just lost control. All I remember is the bike sliding from under me. I remember hitting the ground so hard that it knocked the wind out of me."  
  
Devon extended her arm across the table to rest her hand on top of his to comfort him. "That must have been terrible for you."  
  
Sean nodded. "I can't fix my bike right now. Every time I look at it...I just feel..." he paused shamefully. "fear."  
  
Devon thought for a moment. "When do you plan on getting back on?" she asked.  
  
Sean looked at her surprised. "Um...that has never really crossed my mind yet."  
  
"Well, you should! You love to ride, don't you?" Devon observed Sean carefully. It really looked like he had no intention of ever riding his motorcycle again. "Tell me something, Sean. Why did you enjoy riding motorcycles in the first place?"  
  
Sean looked over at Devon. "YOU, of all people, know why."  
  
"Remind me, then. Or maybe should remind yourself! Why did you enjoy riding motorcycles in the first place?" she asked again.  
  
"It's just...exciting, I guess. Listening to the roaring of the engine...feeling the wind whipping across your face...adrenaline pumping through your body! You just feel...free!"  
  
Devon nodded in agreement. "I completely understand what you mean!" she paused for a moment. "Then...why would want to give all of that up? Is that accident worth giving up that feeling of excitement? Is what happened that ONE night going to make you give up your sense of freedom? Sean, working on motorcycles and riding them has been who you ARE! Quitting now...because of a little fear? Are you ready to let go of that part of you?"  
  
Sean thought about what Devon said and knew that she was right. "What do you want me to do about this?"  
  
Devon's all to familiar sly smile formed on her face. "Come take a ride with me tonight. See what you're missing!"  
  
Sean laughed lightly. He could never say "no" to any of Devon's ideas.  
  
"Emma, you're food is getting cold."  
  
Emma snapped out of her trance and looked down at the table. She didn't even realize that her food was there. She was too busy watching Sean and Devon all night.  
  
Manny took a sip of her water and looked at her friend. "Emma---go and talk to him. You're beginning to drive me crazy."  
  
Emma poured some dressing on her salad and continued to watch Sean and Devon in the corner of her eye. They looked like they were having an intimate conversation, and that bothered her. What were they talking about? Sean NEVER has "intimate" conversations with anyone!  
  
Sean and Devon got up from their table and started to walk towards the cashier.  
  
Emma gasped and picked up her menu to cover her face. She looked over at Manny who was staring at her as if she was crazy. "Manny!" she exclaimed. She picked up Manny's menu with her other hand to cover her friend's face.  
  
"Gee, Em," Manny hissed across the table. "THIS doesn't look suspicious at all," she commented sarcastically.  
  
Emma strained her ears to listen to Sean and Devon as they walked up to the cashier.  
  
Devon started to pull out her wallet from her back pocket, but Sean stopped her. He yanked at her wallet chain. "I told you that this dinner is on me," he commented back.  
  
After Sean paid for their meal, Devon asked. "You ready?"  
  
Sean shook his head. "Not really," he answered back nervously. "I can't believe that we're going to do this tonight!"  
  
Devon grabbed his arm and pulled him along as Sean dragged behind. They both laughed as they pushed the front door open to leave.  
  
Emma slammed the menus on the table. "If THAT wasn't a date, Manny, then what was it?" She looked across the table at her friend. "And what on earth are they going to 'do' tonight?" she asked frantically.  
  
Manny shrugged her shoulders. She didn't know what to say. It DID almost look like Sean and Devon were on a date, and they seemed REALLY happy together. She didn't want to admit it to Emma...but maybe Emma WAS right. Maybe there IS something going on between Sean and Devon...and it's not just innocent friendship.  
  
Devon handed Sean an extra helmet and straddled onto her bike. Sean nervously put on his helmet and sat behind her. Devon reached down to start the engine, but Sean rested his hand on top of hers to stop her for a moment. "Before we do this...I need to tell you something."  
  
Devon turned to look at him. "What?"  
  
"First of all, I want to thank you for forcing me to do this. I don't think I trust anyone more than you to get me through something like this. And also..." he laughed lightly. "I need to ask you for a favor."  
  
"Sure, anything."  
  
"Since I'm allowing you to force me to do this...I need you to promise that you'll do something for ME."  
  
"What is it?" Devon asked.  
  
"I need you to make the best out of being in Toronto. I mean, I'm glad that we get to hang out more...but I want you to enjoy being here as much as I do," Sean commented. "So, with that said...can you please TRY to be nice to my friends? Some may be a little...annoying....but overall, they're good people. And I want them to get to know you. I just think that you'll like it here more if you made some friends."  
  
Devon sighed. She never was a "social butterfly" by any means...but she wanted to make Sean happy. And making fun of his friends and giving them a hard time would NOT make him happy. She held out a hand for him. "It's a deal," she replied as they shook hands. "Since you're agreeing to go on this ride with me tonight....I'LL agree to be nice to your friends and make the best of being here."  
  
Devon started the engine and Sean slowly took a deep breath. Devon revved up the engine one more time before taking off. Sean gripped Devon tighter as he felt the motorcycle go faster. The road underneath them began to disappear into a blur. He nervously laughed to himself. Devon didn't waste any time breaking him back in. Suddenly, he looked up and felt his heart stop when he realized where they were going. Devon was about to go on the same curve where he had his accident. He held his breath as he and Devon leaned to the right to take the curve. They were taking the curve so fast that Sean could have sworn that his right knee was inches away from scraping against the road. As they completed the curve, Sean closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief. When he opened his eyes, everything started to look different to him. He felt the wind brush his face and he felt his heart pounding with excitement. He let go of Devon's waist to throw his hands up in the air and hoot excitedly. "Woo-hooooooo!!!!!!!" He grasped that familiar feeling of freedom once again and soaked it in. 


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
  
Devon twisted the cap off her orange juice bottle as she turned the corner to go to Sean's place. She offered to give Sean a ride to school that morning. She stopped when she noticed Sean outside of his apartment. He was crouched next to his motorcycle, with his clothes and hands smeared with grease. "Sean?---what are you doing?"  
  
Sean looked up from his bike and smiled slyly. "What does it look like I'm doing?" The exhilarating ride the night before seemed to have rejuvenated Sean's passion for motorcycles again. He was so pumped full of adrenaline last night that he couldn't sleep. He ended up pulling out his tools and worked on his bike. He was so into his work that he didn't realize he would be working on it until morning.  
  
"Did you forget that I was going to pick you up this morning?" Devon asked while looking at Sean's stained shirt.  
  
Sean stood up and turned the key to start his engine. He smiled when his bike purred back at him. He looked back at Devon. He wiped his hands with a dirty rag. "I just need a minute to change my shirt and wash my hands."  
  
Devon glanced at her watch. "Homeroom is in thirty minutes!"  
  
Sean calmly returned Devon's comment with a devilish smile. "Thirty minutes? We better get moving, then!"  
  
Devon looked at Sean's grinning face carefully. She knew exactly what he was thinking. She smiled back. "The last person to Degrassi will owe the winner lunch."  
  
Emma nervously twisted strands of her blonde locks between her fingers as her feet fidgeted against the front steps of the school.  
  
Manny walked up to her friend and sat down next to her. "Em...are you still hung up on what happened last night?" she asked. "Just TALK to Sean! Maybe what we saw last night...isn't what we thought."  
  
Emma turned to face Manny. "So you thought it to?"  
  
Manny was confused. "Thought what?"  
  
"You thought that Sean and Devon were on a date!" Emma sighed. "Let's face it Manny. It was pretty obvious. Sean paid for Devon's dinner, then they left the restaurant because...they obviously had to 'do' something together." She shuttered at the thought of what the two of them did last night. Did they kiss...make-out.........have sex??!!  
  
Manny watched her friend drown herself in her thoughts. Emma always had a bad habit of jumping to the wrong conclusions. "Emma---like I said...talk to—" Her sentenced was drowned out by a loud roar.  
  
Two motorcycles flew to the front steps of the school. Some of the students jumped out of the way in fear that they were going to get hit.  
  
Devon quickly stopped her bike, revved the engine one more time, then turned the engine off. She pulled her helmet off her head, then threw her hands up in the air. "Yes!! I won!"  
  
Sean pulled his helmet off and disappointedly turned off his engine. "I guess my bike still needs a little work." He smiled and held out his hand. "But that was AWESOME!"  
  
Devon gave Sean a "high-five". "Definitely!"  
  
Suddenly, Raditch pushed open the front doors of the school and bolted outside. "Mr. Cameron! Miss Simmons!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.  
  
Devon and Sean both looked up.  
  
"In my office—NOW!!" Raditch turned around and noticed that a crowd of students were standing around to witness the scene. "And everybody—get to your homeroom!"  
  
The students scattered into the school as Devon and Sean crawled off their bikes. They quietly walked up the steps. They both saw a session of detention in their futures. Sean looked over at Devon and they laughed quietly when their eyes met. "It was still cool," Sean muttered under his breath. They both laughed louder.  
  
Emma watched the two of them walk past her. Sean didn't even notice that she was standing over there. He didn't even say "hi." In fact...he almost seemed like a completely different person. 


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
  
Devon shoved her book in her backpack as she walked down the hall to her next class. She opened her backpack wider and groaned. She realized that the notebook to her next class was still in her locker. She slung the backpack over her shoulder and quickened her pace. Her locker was a few halls down and she wanted to try to make it there before her next class.  
  
Toby rushed down the hallway, then stopped when he saw Jay slip something into his pocket. Toby nervously walked up to Jay and tapped him on the shoulder. "Um...excuse me," he sputtered.  
  
Jay turned around and smirked. "Are you talking to me?"  
  
Toby gulped. "Uh...I...I..."  
  
JT brushed Toby aside. "Hey, man. We saw what you did!" he stated bravely.  
  
Jay crossed his arms and leaned against the locker next to him. "Really?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah!" JT hissed back. "Toby was getting something out of his locker and you snatched his palm pilot out of his bookbag when his back was turned!"  
  
"I think there must be some mistake..." Jay walked up to Toby until he was inches from his face. "Tell me, loser." He grabbed Toby's collar and pulled him closer as he raised his fist to Toby's terrified face. "Do you think that your friend has me confused with somebody else?"  
  
Toby was so scared that he froze.  
  
JT pushed Jay's hand off of Toby's shirt. "Lay off him!"  
  
Jay let go of Toby, grabbed JT, and threw him against a locker. "What are you going to do if I don't?" he threatened. Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder.  
  
"Excuse me," a voice replied behind him. It was Devon.  
  
Jay turned around and saw a petite, dark haired girl looking back at him. He was so confused as to what was going on, that he loosened his grip on JT and allowed JT to slide down to the floor.  
  
"Excuse me," Devon replied again casually. "You had that kid up against my locker."  
  
Jay turned around to face her. "So?!!"  
  
Devon looked at her watch. She really didn't have time for this. "I just need to grab something out of it really quick for my next class."  
  
JT and Toby just looked at each other. Was this really happening? Was Devon interrupting Jay....just to get to her locker? She was acting as if this wasn't a big deal.  
  
Devon lightly bumped her locker door and swung the door open.  
  
Jay started to look around the hall when he heard giggling from the other students who were watching close by. He felt his cheeks get warm from embarrassment. His embarrassment quickly snapped into anger. He turned around and slammed Devon's locker door shut. The noise echoed throughout the hallway and now more students stopped to see what was going on. "Just who do you think you are!"  
  
Devon let out a frustrated sigh. She was only inches away from grabbing her notebook when Jay slammed her locker shut. "Who do you think? I'm the owner of this locker," she remarked sarcastically.  
  
"Sean!"  
  
Sean turned around and saw Emma run up to him. "Hey, Em!" he replied with a smile. "What's up?"  
  
Emma shrugged her shoulders and pulled her books closer to her chest nervously. "What did Raditch end up doing to you and Devon?"  
  
Sean shook his head. "Devon and I have to help the janitor after school today. We have to mop the floors and take out the trash." He smirked. "Raditch seems to think that Dev and I would respect school grounds more if we helped take care of it." He rolled his eyes. "Whatever."  
  
Emma frowned. "Actually, you two got off easy!" she replied with relief. "What if you got suspended?"  
  
Sean brushed off the thought. The fun he had this morning was worth any punishment. It just seemed like he had been so uptight since his accident because of all the school work he had to make up. He needed something "edgy" to release some stress. They turned the corner and entered another hallway. "Emma—don't worry about it!" he replied reassuringly. "The fact is that Dev and I DIDN'T get suspended. Why bother worrying about something that didn't happen?" They both stopped when they heard a loud "slam" echo throughout the hallway.  
  
They both looked up and noticed groups of students congregating around a particular area of the hallway.  
  
"What's going on?" Emma asked.  
  
"I have no idea..." Sean muttered back as he pushed his way through the crowd. He stopped and saw that Jay and Devon were in the middle of everyone's attention.  
  
The late bell rang over their heads. Devon got even more frustrated because she was now officially late for Kwan's class—again! Since she was late, she decided to make the best of it. She turned around to face Jay and throw him a stern look. She decided to turn everything back on him. "Who do you think YOU are? Stealing people's stuff? Shoving people around?" She walked up to Jay without hesitation. "If you want to harass kids half your size to make yourself FEEL superior, when in reality—you're acting like a complete RETARD—then do it against someone else's locker!" She pushed past him. "Just don't waste my time..."  
  
Jay was now livid. He snatched Devon's backpack from her shoulder and threw it to the floor. He then shoved Devon's back against her locker. He inched closer to her. "I have no problem shutting up little girls with smart mouths."  
  
Sean was about to charge at Jay, but Emma reached out and held on to his arm to stop him. "Sean, don't," she whispered. She didn't want Sean to get into a fight. She knew that if Sean got in trouble a SECOND time that day, he would definitely get suspended.  
  
Devon looked up at Jay's cold eyes, but didn't flinch. Instead, she looked right back at him and returned his cold stare. "Good!" she yelled back. "Because I have no problem fighting big apes with no brains!" She lifted up her hands and pushed Jay away from her. Jay briefly lost his balance, and she took that opportunity to push him to the floor. She jumped on top of him and held up a fist.  
  
Emma couldn't believe what she was seeing. Devon had no intentions of holding back. She had no problems going up against a guy who was twice her size and twice as strong.  
  
Sean pulled away from Emma's grip and ran to Devon. He grabbed his friend and peeled her off of Jay. "Dev—don't!"  
  
Jay stood up. Sean stood in front of Devon to stand between them.  
  
Jay was surprised. "She a friend of yours, Cameron?" he asked. He looked at Devon and smirked. "I guess that explains the familiar attitude." He suddenly turned serious. "You know how I work, Sean. You better tell your friend to watch her back from now on." He turned around and walked away.  
  
"Uh...don't you think it should be YOU watching your back?" JT asked jokingly and the crowd of lingering students burst into laughter. Jay just continued to walk away without looking at anyone.  
  
Devon shoved Sean. "What did you do that for?" she asked. "Did you think I couldn't handle him?"  
  
Sean shook his head. "No," he answered back. "I stopped you because I knew that you COULD handle him! You can't get suspended, Dev! Because if you do, your social worker will find out, and you're outta here."  
  
Devon calmed down so she could think clearly. Sean was right. She brushed off her baggy jeans. She looked up and noticed JT and Toby still lingering around staring at her. "Oh yeah, I forgot!" She reached in her back pocket and pulled out Toby's palm pilot. She was able to snatch if from Jay while he had her backed up against her locker. "I believe that guy took something of yours..." She handed it back to him.  
  
"Thanks, Dev," Sean replied as they watched Toby and JT walk away. "That was cool of you to do that for Toby."  
  
Devon smiled lightly. "I promised remember?" she replied as she picked up her backpack from the floor. "I promised to be nice to your friends..." She looked over her shoulder and noticed Emma waiting for Sean. "I've gotta get to class," she told Sean. She nodded towards Emma. "Emma's waiting for you. You guys need to get to class, too."  
  
"I didn't realize Devon had such a temper," Emma replied quietly as she and Sean walked into their classroom.  
  
Sean laughed and shook his head. "She DOES have a temper..." he commented back. They both sat down in their desks. He looked at Emma. "What you saw Devon do just now isn't even HALF of what she's capable of."  
  
Emma rested her elbow on her desk. She remembered when Sean told her about the time he had beaten up a kid in Wasaga Beach a few years ago. Sean was so rough that the kid permanently lost his hearing in one ear. Back then, when she met Sean, she didn't think that he would be capable of doing something like that. But after seeing the way Devon attacked Jay...she finally realized who Sean got his influence from. 


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8  
  
Emma placed two CD-ROMs in front of Archie Simpson. "Here you go!"  
  
Mr. Simpson looked up at Emma gratefully. "Thanks for dropping these programs off for me, Em." It was after school and Mr. Simpson still had some work to do to prepare for his classes the next day. "I need to get these set up for you guys tomorrow morning." He scratched his head. "I can't believe I forgot them at the house!"  
  
"Don't worry about it, Snake," Emma replied back. "Manny has cheerleading practice this afternoon, anyway. I was supposed to meet up with her and hang out at her place."  
  
"Manny's place?" Mr. Simpson asked confused. "I thought you were going to study over at Sean's this afternoon."  
  
Emma frowned. "Unfortunately, he has to take care of other things this afternoon..."  
  
"Boy...this certainly reminds me of old times, doesn't it?" Devon asked as she plopped a soaked mop against the hallway floor. She and Sean looked down the empty hallway and sighed. They were serving their detention that afternoon because of their "reckless" motorcycle-racing incident that morning. They both sighed again. There were only 5 more hallways left to mop. 5 incredibly LONG hallways left.  
  
Sean kicked his bucket to slide it a few feet from him. He nodded. This routine for the two of them was all too familiar. Devon and school were only synonymous with one thing: detention. "What sucks ISN'T the fact that we have to mop the entire school," he said. "It's the fact that I have to mop the entire school AND that I lost the race."  
  
"Oh well. It's not like we had anything BETTER to do today, right?" Devon commented jokingly.  
  
Sean looked up. "Well...I WAS supposed to hang out with Emma this afternoon."  
  
Devon suddenly felt guilty. "Really?" she asked. "Then, what are you waiting for! Go ahead and go!" She dunked her mop back into the bucket. "I can cover for you. Besides, all Raditch cares is to see a clean floor tomorrow morning. I don't think he'll be able to tell the difference if one or two people mopped it."  
  
Sean shook his head. "I would LIKE to hang with Emma, but I was the one who got us into this mess. It was MY idea for us to race this morning. I can't just leave you here to clean up after me."  
  
Devon shrugged her shoulders. "Just trying to help." She slid the mop across the floor in front of her. She looked up to glance over at Sean. For someone who was serving detention, he was certainly calm. She smiled lightly. This was the calmest she had seen him since she came back into town. "I'm glad that you're not as stressed as you have been the past few days."  
  
Sean stopped mopping for a second to look back at Devon. He had to stop and think for a moment. He nodded. "I guess I HAVE been pretty uptight lately." He smiled back at her. "Thanks for the motorcycle ride last night. I didn't realize how much I needed that."  
  
They both looked away from each other to continue mopping. "I wasn't thrilled to see you so stressed out since I've been here..." Devon continued. "but I AM glad to see you so serious about your schoolwork. A few years ago, attending class wasn't even CLOSE to the top of your priority list!"  
  
Sean nodded in agreement. "I HAVE to keep my grades up to keep my student welfare and to stay on the basketball team this season."  
  
Devon raised her eyebrows. She was impressed. "Responsible AND studious?"  
  
Sean smirked at Devon's comment. Suddenly, image of Emma popped I his head. "Emma helped me out a lot when I first came here. Not only did she help me...she showed me that I can actually do WELL. I guess I'm not as stupid as I thought."  
  
Devon stopped to lean against the mop handle. "Sean, you're NOT stupid. You never were..." She shamefully looked down. "We both know that it was MY fault you didn't do so well in school at Wasaga. I was pretty much the one who always got detention. You just wanted to be a good friend and keep me company." She frowned. "I'm so sorry I dragged you down with me."  
  
Sean shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Besides...we BOTH acted out in school because we wanted to. You never DRAGGED me down with you." Sean decided not to say anything else although he knew there was more to the situation. He knew that Devon hated going home to her mother. He knew that Devon intentionally found excuses to delay coming home as much as possible. Her only "way out" was to extend her time in school, and that meant going to detention in the afternoons.  
  
Devon had a lot to deal with growing up. She and her mother lived with her grandmother in Toronto. Her grandmother was pretty much the "provider" of the family back then. When her grandmother passed away, and she and her mother moved to Wasaga Beach, Devon's mother struggled to make ends meet. She bounced from job to job and barely lived from paycheck to paycheck. Her mother ended up clutching onto a different boyfriend every few months to help pay the bills. Devon never got along with any of her mother's boyfriends...mostly because the boyfriends were uneasy around HER. As a result, Devon had been verbally, and most times, physically abused by her mother's boyfriends. Her mother was very aware of the situation, but never did anything, because she needed her boyfriend to support her. As a result, Devon chose to act out in school to take out her aggressions from home towards school. She knew that she could get away with almost anything, because she knew her mother would never put the effort in meeting with her teachers or principal. Sean ended up in the middle of it all. He always made it his obligation to protect Devon like she was a little sister. He would keep her from getting into fights and try to take the blame for any trouble she could have caused. As a result, he would end up getting into detention...right along side Devon. But, he never cared. HIS parents also neglected the parent/teacher conferences and the principal phone calls. They were more than likely drunk and passed out in a bar or on the couch. In a way, Sean and Devon felt that they needed to look after each other, because neither of them had parents to look after THEM.  
  
Devon shook off the memories and got back to work. She dropped the soaked mop back onto the floor and some water splashed onto Sean's jeans.  
  
Sean lifted his leg up. "Hey! Watch it!"  
  
Devon smirked as she watched Sean pat the side of his pant leg frantically. "Oh, I'm sorry. I realize that you have changed into some "scholar" now...but I had NO idea that you had turned into some pansy who's scared of a little water!" She laughed as she flopped the head of her mop on the floor again to flick more water towards Sean's direction.  
  
Sean looked up from his jeans and crouched there speechless. After a dramatic pause, a mischevious smile crept onto his face. "Oh, it's ON!!" He grabbed a rag, quickly dunked it in the bucket of soapy water, and threw it at Devon.  
  
Devon held her arms up in front of her to shield herself from the soaked object and squealed.  
  
Sean stood up and rubbed his hands together. "Who's afraid of the water NOW?"  
  
Devon shook her head as she leaned over. She pretended to pick up the wet rag, but grabbed the bucket instead.  
  
Sean didn't even have time to react. Before he could say or do anything, there was water EVERYWHERE.  
  
"Sorry you had to sit through cheerleading practice, Em," Manny replied as she looked down at her watch. "I just wanted to finalize the plans for the sleepover." Practice let out 30 minutes LATER than usual. Manny planned for a sleepover at her house this weekend and she and other girls from the cheerleading squad were making lasth-minute plans for the festive event.  
  
Emma shrugged. "No problem. It's not like I had anything else to do this afternoon," she replied back in a sarcastic tone.  
  
They both stopped at Manny's locker for a moment. "Is that a little resentment I hear in your voice?" Manny asked as she slid a notebook out of the top shelf of her locker.  
  
Manny shut her locker door as Emma answered. "Sean had to serve detention this afternoon...with you-know-who..."  
  
Manny nodded her head. "oh yeah..."  
  
"It doesn't matter, anyway," Emma continued. "It seemed like he'd rather spend an afternoon with Devon instead of me..."  
  
"Emma..." Manny replied back sympathetically. "I'm sure Sean was disappointed that he wasn't going to hang out with you after school, too. Also...I was just thinking that maybe you should at least make an effort to get to know Devon a little more. After all...she IS Sean's best friend."  
  
Emma stopped dead in her tracks. "What?!!"  
  
Manny cocked her head to the side and frowned. "Em, come on. If you want to get back together with Sean...you CAN'T trash one of his oldest friends! I think you should give Devon a chance! Have you even considered that she's NOT trying to "steal" Sean away from you? Besides—Sean likes YOU. It's so obvious!"  
  
"I can't believe you're saying this!" Emma exclaimed. "I don't know if you've noticed, but she constantly FLIRTS with him. If you ask me...THAT is what is so obvious!"  
  
As they turned the corner into another hallway, Manny threw her hands up in defeat. "That's it! I give up! I give up in trying to change your mind about—" she stopped when she realized she stepped in something...wet. She lifted up her tennis shoe. "What the...?"  
  
Emma looked down at the floor and saw a puddle of water on the floor. Her eyes followed the water trail down the hallway.  
  
They both looked up when they heard a laugh echo through the halls. Sean and Devon were sitting on the floor completely exhausted and soaked in water from head to toe. 


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9  
  
"It's over at 5:00 this afternoon and I haven't finished my song," Craig replied as he shoved a flyer in front of Sean's face. The top of the flyer stated "contest" in large, bold letters. One of the popular radio stations were sponsoring a contest to promote the grand opening of a new night club. The band or songwriter with the best original song would perform live on the club's stage opening night. The deadline was today and the announcing of the winner was going be Monday morning. Craig had been racking his brain all week to come up with a winning song.  
  
A tired Sean rubbed his eyes as he popped his locker open. He could barely read the words on the flyer because he was so tired. He and Devon had stayed up late the night before to clean up the mess they splattered all over the school halls. He pushed Craig's hand out of his face to reach inside his locker. "Why don't you use one of the songs you've already written. Don't you have, like, a million of them?"  
  
Craig agitatedly leaned against the locker next to him. He knew that it was useless explaining anything to his friend. He just wouldn't understand. He looked around and decided to change the subject. "Wow! Is it me, or does this place look...cleaner than usual..." he replied sarcastically as he looked around the sparkling hallway. He purposely said it to aggravate Sean.  
  
"Ha, ha." Sean closed his locker and looked at Craig. He was obviously not amused.  
  
Craig looked up and spotted Marco and Spinner walking to their next class. "I've gotta go," he told Sean as he started to walk away. "I have to talk to the guys and figure out a time to practice the song." He lightly patted Sean on the shoulder. "Wake up, buddy," he said with a smirk. "Only 7 hours left to go until the weekend."  
  
Sean sighed. "Don't remind me!" As he watched Craig walk off, he felt a light thud behind him. He turned around and noticed that Devon had walked up to him and tiredly collapsed against a locker.  
  
She groggily looked over at Sean. "Remind me never to do anything that will cause me to serve detention EVER again," she groaned.  
  
Sean laughed lightly. "You always say that," he answered back. "But it never happens..."  
  
At that moment, Manny walked up to them. "Hey, Sean. Hey, Devon," she said with a smile.  
  
They both made a face at her. It was almost sickening seeing how perky Manny was so early in the morning.  
  
"What's up, Manny?" Sean asked as he looked behind her to see if anyone was close by.  
  
Manny gave a suspicious grin. "Emma's not here yet...if you're wondering..." She looked over at Devon. "Actually, I wanted to ask Devon something."  
  
Devon opened her eyes when she heard her name. She didn't even realize that she was close to dozing off in the middle of the hallway. "Huh?" she asked confused.  
  
"I'm having a sleepover at my place tonight," Manny replied. "Emma, some girls from the squad, and some other girlfriends are going to be there. I just wanted to extend the invitation."  
  
Devon blinked. "Huh?" she asked again completely dumbfounded. She barely knew Manny. In fact, she didn't even know the girl's name until Sean mentioned it.  
  
Sean jabbed Devon's side with his elbow when Devon didn't give an answer.  
  
Devon quickly woke up. "Uh...thanks for the invite, Manny, but...I don't think I'll be able to make it."  
  
Manny shrugged her shoulders. "No big deal. Just call me if you decide to change you mind, okay?" She looked over at Sean. "I'll see you in class, Sean. I'll tell Emma you were looking for her."  
  
"I wasn't looking for her..." Sean mumbled as Manny turned and walked away. He looked back at Devon.  
  
"What?" Devon asked when Sean said nothing.  
  
Sean cocked his head to the side and sighed.  
  
Devon sighed back. She knew what he was thinking. She shook her head. "No—no way! Is that bandana on your head on so tight that oxygen can't reach your brain?...or are you just sleep-deprived?" The bell rang and she started to walk to her next class. "In case you forgot—I don't 'do' sleepovers."  
  
Sean trailed behind her. "Dev, you promised that you were going to be nice to my friends, remember? This is the perfect way for you to get to know them."  
  
Devon stopped to turn around and face Sean. "No. You want me to get to know EMMA. I get that. And I know that it will mean a lot to you if she and I became friends." She flipped her ponytail over her shoulder. "Fine. I'll take her out to lunch...or even try to attend one of those environmental club meetings. Whatever. But I'm NOT going to get to know her between the giggling, toe nail painting, and pillow fights."  
  
Sean laughed. "Girls don't REALLY do that at sleepovers." He stopped to think for a moment. "...do they?"  
  
"I don't know!" Devon answered back frantically. "And I assure you that I'm not going to find out."  
  
She continued to walk down the hall, while Sean split off to walk into his next class. He stopped at the doorway. "Just think about it, okay?" he called out as Devon continued walking without looking back.  
  
As Devon walked into her next class, she noticed the bold letters written across the chalkboard: "Book reports due today." "Great," she mumbled to herself. She completely forgot about the assignment. Instead of taking her seat, she turned around and walked out of the classroom before the late bell rang. She wasn't in the mood to get a dirty look from Ms. Kwan. She needed to hide out for a little while until her next class.  
  
Craig tapped the eraser of his pencil against his desk anxiously as he looked down to read the lyrics of his song for the fifth time. He was in the middle of study hall and he has been running the song in his head over and over again. Somehow...the song was missing something and he couldn't figure out what it was. He looked up at the clock. There was 35 minutes left and he didn't want to spend it sitting in his desk. He needed to put the finishing touches of his song together. He raised his hand. "Restroom break?" he asked the teacher in front of the classroom.  
  
He folded his lyrics and stuffed it in his pocket as he started to head towards the music room. He figured that the teacher wouldn't even notice he was gone the rest of the period. As he turned the corner, he realized that someone had beat him to it. There was music playing from the music room. He stopped for a moment and raised his eyebrows impressed. Whoever was playing sounded pretty good. He walked up to the room and leaned against the doorway. Sitting at the piano was a dark haired girl. He looked carefully and recognized that it was the new girl that was in a few of his classes.  
  
Devon sat at the piano and allowed her thoughts to get lost in the music. She was getting ready to hide out in the ladies room that period, but came across the music room. It had been weeks since she's played and she wanted to get some creativity out of her system before her next class. She playfully hit a few jazzy chords. She suddenly stopped when she noticed a figure standing in the doorway. She tensed up for a moment, because she thought it was the principal getting ready to serve her another session of detention for skipping class. She took a sigh of relief when she noticed that it was only another student.  
  
Craig jumped up slightly when he realized the girl had noticed he was standing there. "Sorry," he replied. "I didn't know that someone was going to be in here." Devon continued to stare at him nervously. "Please," he continued. "Don't stop on my account."  
  
Devon pushed back and stood up. "Actually I'm not supposed to be here."  
  
Craig chuckled. "Neither am I. I was hoping to do a little practicing before my teacher notices my unusually long bathroom break."  
  
Devon started to walk away from the piano. "You're more than welcomed to practice." She looked at Craig carefully. "You're Craig Manning, right? A friend of Sean's?"  
  
Craig nodded and walked up to Devon to shake her hand. "Yeah. And you're Devon, right? You're in some of my classes." He looked over at the piano. "What were you playing anyway?"  
  
Devon shrugged. "Nothing special. I was just piddling around."  
  
Craig was impressed. "You mean you made that all up?"  
  
Devon nodded. She didn't see what the big deal was. "Well, yeah. My grandmother taught me how to play piano when I was younger. I used to play from all of the old piano books she used to own. After I learned all of her books, I didn't have the money to buy new material...so I just make up my own stuff."  
  
"That's awesome!" Craig complimented. "I wish stuff came that easy to me." He slipped the sheet of lyrics from his pocket. "I've been working on this thing for days!"  
  
Devon walked passed him. "Well, don't let me take away your practice time."  
  
Craig shook his head. "Oh, don't worry about it. It's really no big deal—" He turned around and realized that Devon had already left the room. He shrugged his shoulders and walked over to the guitar that was resting against one of the corners of the music room. He hopped on a stool and started to strum. He looked down at his lyrics and started to sing his song. After he finished his song, he frowned. There was still something about the song he wasn't completely satisfied with. "It just seems like I'm missing something..." he muttered to himself.  
  
"A bridge," a voice called out.  
  
Craig looked up startled to realize that someone was listening to him. He saw Devon standing at the doorway. "Hey...I thought you left!"  
  
Devon walked up to one of the chairs that had her flannel shirt hanging off of it. "I just came back to get this," she answered back. "It's a bad habit of mine. I'm always forgetting things." She grabbed the shirt off the chair. "Just continue with what you were doing..."  
  
Craig stood up. "Wait!" he called out.  
  
Devon stopped and turned around.  
  
Craig walked up to her with the guitar in one hand and his sheet of lyrics in the other. "You were saying something about a bridge..." he showed her his lyrics. "Where should I put it?"  
  
Devon looked down at the page of words. She pointed at a certain spot. "Right here," she replied. "You should have the bridge here instead of a third verse. The song started to sound monotonous if you do a verse, chorus, verse, chorus, then ANOTHER verse. Make the lyrics to the third verse into a bridge..." she paused to think for a moment. "...then, make the final chorus a step higher." She looked up at Craig. "That way, it'll sound like you're building up to the end...and not just 'ending' the song." She looked at the lyrics one more time to see if she forgot anything. "And I guess, that should be it!"  
  
Craig looked down at the words again, and everything started to sound clearer. Why didn't he think of that before? It was so obvious! "That's it!" he exclaimed excitedly. "Thanks a lot, Devon! I—" He stopped when he looked up and realized that she had left the room again.  
  
The bell rang and everyone scattered out of the classrooms to go to lunch. Devon quickly walked out of her class to hopefully catch Sean at lunch. She started to feel guilty for refusing to do Sean a favor by going to Manny's sleep over. She turned the corner and stopped when she noticed that Sean was in a deep conversation with Emma.  
  
"I didn't know that you were here after school," Sean told Emma. "Why didn't you tell me? I would have met up with you."  
  
Emma shifted her notebooks from one arm to the other. She tried to avoid eye contact. "I was with Manny, and you..." she looked up at him coldly. "you just seemed busy."  
  
Sean was completely dumbfounded to Emma's sudden coldness. "I was just at detention. Trust me...I would have had no problem skipping out on it for a few minutes to hang out with you if I knew you were still at school." He paused for a moment to allow Emma to respond back, but suddenly became nervous when she didn't say anything. He figured that she was mad at him for getting into trouble and for breaking their study date. "Let me make it up to you, then," He looked down to gently take Emma's hand. "Let me take you out to dinner this weekend."  
  
Emma felt her stomach flutter. Just touching him made her completely lose herself. She struggled to stand her ground. She forced herself to stay aggravated with him. She pulled her hand away. "I'm going to Manny's sleepover tonight, so I'm busy."  
  
Sean shrugged. "So, why not Saturday, then?"  
  
Emma started to walk away. "I'm busy that night, too," she stated nonchalantly.  
  
Sean stood quietly in the middle of the hallway for a moment and watched Emma walk away. Devon saw the look of disappointment on Sean's face and felt bad for him. It was obvious that Emma was angry because he spent the entire day in detention with her. It was even sadder to see that Sean had no clue of Emma's jealousy. Sean sighed sadly and walked away to go to his locker. As Devon watched him walk off, she realized that she had to apologize to Emma for taking up Sean's time. She knew that if Emma was refusing to speak to Sean at school, she will refuse to speak to HER if she tried to approach her. There was only one place she can force Emma to talk to her. She looked up and noticed Manny walking by her. "Manny?" she called out.  
  
Manny turned around and noticed Devon standing behind her. "Hey, Devon." She smiled. "Changed your mind about going to the sleepover?"  
  
Devon gulped. She knew she was going to regret what she was going to say next. "Actually...I have." She forced a fake smile. "Just tell me the time and the place." 


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10  
  
Sean slowed down to allow his motorcycle to ease onto Manny's driveway. Devon looked at Manny's house through the visor of her helmet and sighed. She let go of Sean's waist and climbed off the back end of the seat to step onto the driveway and pulled off her helmet. She glanced back at Sean with a look of sheer panic.  
  
Sean laughed. "I appreciate you doing this and all...but seriously, you don't have to do this if you don't want to." He looked past Devon to look at the outlines of the figures behind the front window of the house.  
  
"Thanks for the ride." Devon knew Sean was wondering if one of those dark figures were Emma. "And don't worry. I'll try to see if I can talk to Emma for you."  
  
Before Devon could walk away, Sean grabbed her arm. "Be good." When Devon smirked, he added, "Please."  
  
Emma quickly peeked into the living room, then walked back into the kitchen to help Manny. "It looks like a good turn out tonight," she replied excitedly.  
  
"Thanks," Manny replied back as she opened a back of chips and poured them into a large bowl.  
  
"I think everyone you invited was able to make it." Emma uncovered a pan full of freshly baked brownies from the stove.  
  
Manny awkwardly stopped what she was doing. "Well...almost everyone..."  
  
Emma glanced over at Manny curiously. "What do you mean?"  
  
Manny popped a potato chip in her mouth. "There's actually one more person who's supposed to come..." she said in between chomps.  
  
Emma giggled. "I don't know who else! Just about every girl we both know is here!"  
  
Suddenly, the doorbell rang in the background.  
  
"There's just...one...more...person..." Manny put down a hand towel and started to make her way to the front door.  
  
Emma continued to stand behind the kitchen counter. She still wondered why Manny was acting so strange. She heard Manny open the front door, and at the same time, heard a motorcycle drive away. Suddenly, she came into a realization. "Manny..." she mumbled under her breath. "Please tell me you didn't—"  
  
"Hey, Devon!" Manny exclaimed. She opened the front door wider and stepped back to allow Devon to walk inside. "Did you find the place okay?"  
  
Emma stood in the kitchen doorway and crossed her arms as she watched Devon enter Manny's foyer.  
  
Devon nodded nervously. "Um...yeah." She placed her backpack on the floor. "Sean dropped me off."  
  
Manny smiled at Devon,, then looked up to glance at Emma. Her smiled quickly faded after catching Emma's scowl.  
  
A few hours later, the girls were sitting in a circle in the middle of the living room, answering quizzes from some teen magazines. All the girls seemed to be having a good time...except for Devon, who was sitting in a corner observing.  
  
"Why don't you go and talk to her or something?" Manny whispered to Emma as she started to brush on a second coat of nail polish on her toenails.  
  
"YOU invited her," Emma hissed back. "YOU talk to her."  
  
Devon sighed as she readjusted herself on Manny's recliner for the 10th time. She looked around at the giggling girls as they answered the endless questions from magazines. She looked at the large stack of magazines next to Paige that were still left untouched. "How many questions could there possibly be left to answer??!!" she asked herself. She pretty much knew everything she never wanted to know. She knew everyone's favorite color, everyone's best and worse date, everyone's dream car, and even everyone's favorite shampoo. She nearly pulled her hair out when she started to see a couple of the girls pick up pillows and playfully hit each other. It was as if she was in the middle of a bad dream.  
  
Hazel flipped a page and her eyes lit up. "Here's a good one!" She adjusted her legs to sit indian-style on the floor. "Describe your first kiss."  
  
Devon felt her stomach turn when she heard the excrutiating sound of excited squeals from the other girls.  
  
Hazel looked at Manny. "Manny?"  
  
Manny made a face. "Can we start with someone else?"  
  
"Nooooo!!!" a couple of the girls exclaimed.  
  
Emma tried to hide her smile. She knew exactly why Manny didn't want to tell this story.  
  
Manny sighed. "I was in the fifth grade and there was this boy that was, like, obsessed with me for some reason."  
  
"Herbert Mickey!" Emma bursted out.  
  
Manny threw Emma a dirty look. "Thanks for reminding me," she said sarcastically.  
  
Paige held her hands up. "Herbert?" she asked dramatically.  
  
Emma laughed. "He had thick, black framed glasses and wore a bow tie everyday."  
  
Manny shoved Emma. "Are you going to let me tell this story or not?"  
  
Emma fought a smile. "Just trying to give everyone a visual to go by."  
  
"Anyway," Manny continued. "My parents were friends with HIS parents, so they always made me talk to Herbert all the time. There was this banquet our parents had to go to, and they forced me and Herbert to dance together. Herbert, of course, must have gotten the wrong message. On the bus the next morning, he sat next to me and told everyone that we were boyfriend and girlfriend. Then, in front of EVERYBODY, he put his scrawny arm around me and gave me this sloppy, wet kiss on the cheek." As the rest of the girls burst out into laughter, Manny's cheeks started to get warm with embarrassment. "Come on, you guys!! That moment still gives me nightmares!"  
  
Paige looked around. "Who wants to go next?"  
  
Manny pointed at Emma. "It's Em's turn!"  
  
Emma felt herself blush. "Manny..."  
  
Manny shook her head. "Hey! You made me tell MY story!" She gave Emma a light shove. "Besides, you've GOT to tell everyone about your first kiss!" She let out a dreamy sigh. "It's almost as if it came from a movie or something."  
  
The girls squealed with excitement and inched into a closer circle to hear what Emma had to say.  
  
Emma gave in. "Alright, alright." She leaned against the ottoman behind her. "It was the day of my parents' wedding. Everything up to that point was a disaster. My mom found out she was pregnant, my parents started to fight, and the wedding ALMOST didn't happen."  
  
Manny butted in. "Oh, and don't forget the hair!"  
  
Emma threw her a dirty look. "Actually...let's FORGET about what happened to my hair." She paused and laughed at herself for a moment when a picture of her horrendous hairdo popped in her head. She continued. "But of course, in the middle of all of that, a potential relationship with Sean was up in the air and more frustrating and confusing than ever! Well, it turned out that my parents made up and got married, and it ended up being a wonderful day. I remember the reception was beautiful. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and everyone was all dressed up—laughing, dancing, having a great time. Of course, everyone was dancing...except for me." Her eyes started to look into the distance as the moments of that day played in slow motion in her mind. "Throughout the day...I had a certain someone on my mind. And a part of me hoped that he would make it to the reception, regardless of the hurt and confusion I put him through...."  
  
The girls remained silent and became drawn into Emma's story.  
  
"Then, I turned around." She smiled. "And there he was." She looked around the room at the circle of curious faces. "He was standing by the river, leaning against a tree. I think that was probably the only time in my life I've ever seen him with a tie on! So...I walked up to him. The whole time, I tried to act as cool and collected as I could, but of course, I was a nervous wreck inside. I remember him asking why I was the only person in the reception not dancing. I told him that nobody really sparked my interest, and in my mind, I remember thinking that he was the only person I wanted dance with. So...we started dancing, and I don't remember if there was even music playing in the background. All I could hear was my heart pounding." She started to get that dreamy, far-away look in her eyes again as she started to blush. "His arms were around me, his blue eyes were looking into mine...it was as if time stopped right there. And that's when we kissed." She sighed. "The moment was just...perfect."  
  
There were a number of "awwwww"s and "oooohhhh"s that filled the room.  
  
"Oh my god, Em! I wished MY first kiss was as memorable as that." Hazel exclaimed.  
  
Paige laughed haughtily. "Yeah, Em. But...I can never see Sean as the sensitive, romantic type," she replied with a smirk.  
  
Devon's natural reaction to Paige's smart remark towards Sean was to become defensive. She rolled her eyes. "Shut up," she muttered under her breath as she shook her head.  
  
Emma frowned. Devon has been isolating herself all night. And now that she has decided to open her mouth, she's going to ruin the mood of the sleepover.  
  
Paige swung her head around to look at Devon. "Oh, Devon!" She flashed a conniving smile. "When did YOU get here?" she asked sarcastically.  
  
Devon forced a fake, charming smile. "You didn't know?" she asked. "I've been here the whole time...but then again you were probably too consumed in grooming yourself all night to even notice." She crossed her arms. "Or maybe the toxic fumes from the hairspray, layers of make-up, and toe nail polish you have on killed the limited brain cells you have left, and you were too confused to even realize that I was here." She didn't HATE Paige....she just loved to see her squirm.  
  
Paige started to respond back, but Manny quickly stepped in. "Why don't we get back to the main topic of the evening," she replied desperately. "Who wants to talk about their first kiss?" She looked around.  
  
Paige suddenly had an idea. "What about YOU, Devon? Care to share a story?...or are you just going to hide in your little hole in the corner all night?" She laughed. "You HAVE kissed a boy before...right?" She looked around her at the other girls on the cheering squad. Some burst into little giggles.  
  
Devon was about to decline and throw Paige another smart remark, but stopped when she looked at Manny. The poor girl looked frantic and worried that her sleepover was going to be ruined. She calmed down. She didn't want to disrespect her hostess. Manny has been nothing but nice to her. She was also Emma's best friend. Hurting Manny would almost be like hurting Emma. She didn't want to disappoint Sean.  
  
Manny looked over at Devon and felt bad for her for being put on the spot. She smiled reassuringly. "You don't have to share if you don't want to."  
  
Devon looked over at Paige who had a smug look on her face. She shook her head and sighed. "No, no, no...I'll tell it."  
  
The girls looked at each other. Was Devon actually going to consider...participating?  
  
Devon shifted in the recliner to get comfortable and hugged the pillow in front of her. "I was nine-years-old. A friend and I were playing a game of basketball in the park. Then, it started to rain, so we jumped on our bicycles to ride back to his house. We were a few blocks away, but the rain turned into this nasty thunderstorm in a matter of seconds. We decided to ride to an abandoned house that was right around the corner instead. We crawled through the back kitchen window that happened to be unlocked. It was pretty dark by then, and there was no electricity in the house, so we sat in one of the corners of the kitchen and waited for the storm to pass. It started to get late, and the storm seemed to be getting worse than better. Then suddenly, a bright flash of lightning from outside lit up the kitchen and a loud clap of thunder shook the house. I just remember being so startled by it that I jumped back. My friend placed his hands on my shoulders and whispered in my ear to calm me down."  
  
"What did he say?" Hazel quickly asked curiously.  
  
Devon looked over at Hazel and looked at the other girls. She had been looking down the whole time and didn't realize that everyone was hooked on to her story. They actually looked interested. "He basically just whispered: 'I'm right here. I'll protect you.' I turned around to look at him and caught his eyes. Then, out of no where, he just leaned over and kissed me." After Devon finished her story, she casually leaned back in the recliner and rolled the pillow off her lap.  
  
"How romantic!" Liberty exclaimed.  
  
"So...who was this guy, anyway?" Hazel asked. "A boyfriend?"  
  
Devon shook her head. "Oh, no," she answered. "Actually, he was my best-- ." She quickly stopped herself. "He was a friend," she corrected herself. But it was too late. She knew that everyone pretty much figured out who her first kiss was. She particularly looked over at Emma, whose face started to turn red. She was obviously upset.  
  
Emma stood up ran out of the room. Manny quickly ran after her. "Em!" she called out.  
  
Devon buried her head in her hands. She knew that Emma must have come to the wrong conclusion. She also got up to follow Manny and Emma.  
  
When the three girls left the room, Paige looked over at the other girls and raised her eyebrows curiously. This sleepover suddenly became a lot more interesting. "Looks like Emma's got a little competition. Wouldn't you say?"  
  
Emma stormed into Manny's room. Manny was right at her heels. "I can't stay here," Emma snapped. "Not with HER here!"  
  
Manny sighed. She hated to see her friend so upset. "Em, I swear I didn't know. I wouldn't have invited her if I knew there was anything romantically going on between her and Sean."  
  
Emma grabbed her backpack and started to stuff her clothes in it, then looked up at Manny angrily. "How can you NOT see it? How many times did you want me to point that out?!"  
  
They both turned their heads when they heard a soft knock on the door. Devon stood in the middle of the doorframe. "Manny, do you mind if I speak with Emma?...alone?"  
  
Manny shook her head nervously. "You know, I don't think that it would be a good idea right now, Devon."  
  
Devon sighed. "Manny, I don't want to take you away from the sleepover." She awkwardly dug her hands in her pockets. "Besides, I think that this is between me and Emma." She looked over at Emma who quickly looked away.  
  
Manny turned to look at Emma, then focused back on the sleepover when she heard a group of girl giggling in the distance. She sighed.  
  
Devon watched Manny contemplate on what to do and added, "I promise it won't take long."  
  
Manny nodded and quietly walked out of the room  
  
Emma quickly focused back on her overflowing backpack and tried to zip it up, but was too upset and distracted to perform such a simple task.  
  
Devon closed the bedroom door and stood in the corner quietly to hopefully get Emma's attention, but Emma continued to ignore her. "Just let me explain about—"  
  
Emma smirked as she interrupted Devon. "You explained enough," she snapped. She couldn't believe Devon was rubbing her relationship with Sean in her face. Just who does she think she is?  
  
Devon sighed. She knew she wasn't going to get anywhere. She just wanted to kick herself for even deciding to tell her story. She gave up. "Fine, don't let me explain." When she saw Emma open her mouth to add a comeback, Devon quickly spoke up again. "But, just let me say this. There IS more to the story. Stuff that I'm willing to tell you if you'll let me. I know what you're probably thinking, and I assure you that you are jumping to the wrong conclusions."  
  
Emma didn't respond. Instead, she turned around to finish packing and ignore Devon. It was her way of saying, 'I don't want to know anything else.'  
  
She walked over to Emma and lightly rested her hand on the backpack to signal Emma to stop for a moment. "Don't leave. This is your best friend's party. It's obvious who needs to go." She walked away from Emma and headed back towards the bedroom door. "I'LL leave. I shouldn't have come here in the first place." She opened the door and was half-way out, but stopped. She turned back around. Trying to explain her situation with Sean was a loss. She remembered that her main objective of attending the sleepover was to find a way to get Emma to speak to Sean. She decided to make her attempt and leave. "It was interesting hearing your version about your first kiss with Sean. I've heard Sean's side a million times!" She smiled slightly. "I think you should ask him about that the next time you see him. He's going to be at his place all day tomorrow. He has plans on working on his bike and I was supposed to help him. BUT, I just realized that I have a few errands to run tomorrow...and he's going to need some help." She left it at that and walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind her.  
  
Emma tossed her backpack back on to Manny's bed. Her body was still shaking with frustration. She tried so hard not to listen to what Devon had to say...but she did anyway. There was something that Devon said that sparked her curiosity: "I've heard Sean's side a million times!" A million times? Emma remembered the day after their kiss. She played the moment in her head too many times in her head to count. Now she began to wonder...did Sean do that, too? She sighed. There was only one way to find out. 


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11  
  
Sean wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his arm and looked up at the sun. It was now starting to get hotter, which only meant that it was close to noon. He started to wonder where Devon was. She promised to drop by after the sleepover and help him with his bike. At that exact moment, he heard someone walking up behind him and a shadow slowly started to hover over him. He didn't turn around and look up to see who it was and continued to work on his bike. "So...how was the sleepover?" He asked assuming it was Devon standing behind him.  
  
"It was actually kinda fun," a voice answered back. "Thanks for asking."  
  
Sean put down his wrench when he realized the voice behind him was NOT Devon's. He turned around and squinted his eyes to look up. "Emma?" He was surprised to see her. "What are you doing here?"  
  
Emma looked down at Sean. "Devon mentioned that she was supposed to help you with your bike this afternoon, but couldn't because she had a couple of errands to run today." She shrugged. "I just thought I'd drop by to keep you company."  
  
Sean couldn't believe it. Emma was so mad at him the other day, but Devon STILL managed to get her to talk to him.  
  
Emma got apprehensive when Sean didn't say anything. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I just assumed that it would be okay if I dropped by..." She started to wonder if Sean was disappointed that she was there and not Devon.  
  
Sean broke away from his thoughts and quickly shook his head. "Oh, no—it's not that! I just wasn't expecting you, that's all!" He gave Emma a warm smile. "It's good to see you. I'm glad that you decided to drop by."  
  
Emma could feel herself blush when she saw Sean's inviting smile. She sat on the pavement next to him. She looked over Sean's shoulder as he continued his work. "What exactly are you doing anyway?"  
  
"Just changing the spark plugs," Sean answered back. He stopped when he noticed grease dripping down his arm. He turned around. "Do you mind handing me that rag over there?"  
  
Emma crouched down and stretched to reach the rag in front of her. As she passed him the rag, their fingers ran across each other.  
  
Now, Sean started to feel his cheeks getting warm. He nervously wiped the grease off his arm and tossed it back on the ground. He sat back next to Emma. He didn't want to bore her by working on his bike the entire time she was there. "So...how WAS the sleepover?"  
  
"It was okay," Emma answered back. "It was a good turnout. Manny was really excited. We mostly...talked the entire time."  
  
"Really?" Sean started to get curious. "Was any of the talking...from Devon?" he asked.  
  
"She didn't say much most of the night. There was one particular topic that came up..." Emma started.  
  
"What kind of topic?" Sean asked as he started to gather the pile of tools in front of him.  
  
"A few of the girls described the stories of their first kiss..." she continued.  
  
"Really?" Sean answered back as he now started to organize his tools.  
  
"Devon had an interesting story—"  
  
Sean dropped a screwdriver. "She did?" He was surprised.  
  
Emma suddenly became curious. "Did you NOT want her to talk about that?"  
  
Sean shook his head. "I just didn't think that Devon would share such a private time in her life with complete strangers."  
  
"Devon didn't really think that it was a big deal..." Emma replied casually as she slipped out that little fib.  
  
"Really?" Sean asked surprised.  
  
Emma nodded. "Yeah, she talked about being stuck in this old house in the middle of a thunderstorm..." She looked over at Sean hoping that he would act as if that kiss with Devon was no big deal. "Right?" She started to get disappointed. By the look on Sean's face, she realized that the kiss seemed important to him.  
  
Sean put his tools down and rested his arms on his knees. "Devon was so scared that night. She HATES thunderstorms. Most of all, she hates being stuck in the dark in the middle of one."  
  
"Really?" Emma asked. Devon just seemed like a person who wasn't afraid of anything. "Why?"  
  
Sean quickly stopped himself before answering the question. It was obvious that Devon didn't go into the details of the story and only the highlights. He recognized to respect Devon's privacy and try to answer AROUND Emma's question to protect his friend. He shrugged his shoulders. "She just hates them," he answered without a thorough explanation of why. "She was so freaked out that nothing I said could have calmed her down. So...I kissed her to hopefully distract her. It was the only thing I could think of at the time!" He thought back at that moment that happened so many years ago and laughed. "It definitely distracted her! She was so caught off guard that she punched me in the stomach." He laughed again as he tried to mimic his best friend's voice. "She said: 'Do that again, Sean, and I'll beat the crap out of you!'"  
  
Emma laughed along with him.  
  
"She was so angry at me, but at least it distracted her! After that moment, she didn't worry about the storm." He looked back at Emma and was surprised to see a look of relief wash through her face. He suddenly realized why Emma was acting weird. She actually thought his first kiss with Devon was intended to be...romantic! He was surprised that the thought even crossed Emma's mind. Him...and Devon? Boyfriend and girlfriend? He shook the outrageous thought from his head. That would be so...weird.  
  
Emma looked over at Sean. He looked like he was more amused with his kiss with Devon than anything else. She suddenly understood what Devon meant when she said that there was "more to the story." She felt guilty for giving Devon the cold shoulder the night before. She was glad Devon told her to come see Sean that afternoon. She actually felt better.  
  
Sean looked over at Emma again and was glad that he was able to answer Emma's question without giving away Devon's past. The truth was that Devon's mom was dating this guy at the time. He drank ALL the time and he and Devon were always home alone together. One night, her mom's boyfriend got really drunk and just got irritable for no reason. Devon must have said something that pushed him over the edge, because the next thing she knew, she was being dragged into the shed in the backyard. He just threw her in there and locked her up in the dark for the rest of the night. It stormed all night, and Devon was trapped in the middle of it alone and scared. Her mom didn't even notice she was missing—either she didn't notice or she just didn't care. It was Sean that found Devon the next morning. She was still shaking from being terrified the night before. She had been afraid of being in the dark during a storm ever since. Sean never forgot the look of terror on his best friend's face when he found her. It became the same look on her face when they ended up stranded in that abandoned house together. That was the REAL reason why Devon was terrified of thunderstorms. And that was the real reason why he felt he needed to distract her with an innocent kiss.  
  
There was an awkward moment of silence as they both sat there quietly wondering what to say to each other. The silence was almost unbearable. Emma just had to say SOMETHING, no matter how dumb it was going to sound. She looked over at Sean's motorcycle. "Can I help you with anything?"  
  
Sean looked back at her with a surprised smile on his face. "Really?" he asked. "You...wanna help?"  
  
Emma shrugged. "Sure!" She picked up one of Sean's greasy tools with the tips of her thumb and second finger. She held the tool at arm's length from her body and hoped the grease wouldn't drip on her blouse. "Um...what do you need me to do?"  
  
Sean burst out laughing. Emma couldn't have held that tool in a more "feminine" way. He shook his head as he took the tool out of her hand. "First of all, I don't need that." He picked up another tool and laid it across Emma's palm, completely smearing her hand in oil. "Second of all, if you plan on helping me, don't be afraid of getting your hands dirty." He looked over at Emma again. "Actually..." he mumbled as he picked up the oil-stained rag on the ground. "You need to get a little more dirty than just your hands." He playfully rubbed the oil all over Emma's blouse.  
  
Emma shrieked for a moment, then stopped. She didn't want to "wimp out" now. She took a deep breath and ignored the smeared stain on her sleeve. She walked up to Sean's motorcycle. "So what do you need me to do?"  
  
Sean looked at Emma, then walked over to his bike. He crossed his arms and rubbed his chin to think of what to do. After a few seconds of assessing what needed to be done, he looked back at Emma. "You know, I don't think there's anything you CAN do," he replied very seriously.  
  
Emma frowned. Maybe Sean didn't WANT her to help. He probably was thinking how "girly" she was.  
  
Sean's seriousness quickly turned into bursts of laughter. He couldn't hold a straight face any longer. "There's nothing you could do...because I'm done fixing my bike!!"  
  
Emma's mouth hung open and the tool in her hand dropped to her side. She looked down at her blouse. "All of that...for nothing?" she asked quietly. Instead of completely flipping out, she listened to Sean's laughter and realized how contagious it was. She started to laugh, too. She bent down to start picking up whatever she could put in her hands and started to throw them at Sean. "I can't believe you did that to me!" she screamed at him in between her laughter.  
  
Sean ran around as he playfully ducked from the objects flying at his direction. "Hey! You'll bend my tools!"  
  
Emma continued to chase Sean around until there was nothing in her hands. They stood around for a moment to catch their breaths.  
  
Sean walked up the steps onto his porch. He opened the door. "Why don't you go inside and wash up. I'll get us something to drink."  
  
Emma washed her hands over the kitchen sink as Sean poured coke into two glasses. They both took a seat at the table.  
  
Emma took a sip from her drink. "I talked about my first kiss at the sleepover also," she replied as she set her glass back down on the table. "You probably didn't know this, but my first kiss was with you at my parents' wedding."  
  
"Really?" Sean asked. "I DIDN'T know that." He actually felt honored.  
  
Emma nodded. "Yeah, it was. Devon actually said that it was interesting hearing MY side of the story, because she's heard YOUR version a million times!" She timidly looked down before gathering up the courage for what she was going to say next. "What IS your side of what happened that day?"  
  
Sean nervously tapped his fingers against the table as he felt his cheeks start to get warm. He took a deep breath and looked up at her.  
  
Emma grimaced. She felt foolish for putting him on the spot. "I'm sorry. I'm just making that day to be more that it really was!" She quickly waved her hand in front of her. "Just forget I asked you that."  
  
Sean gave her a reassuring smile. "That was the day we had our first kiss! It meant a lot to me." He leaned back in his chair. "It was also when we had gotten back together. I remember everything that happened that day."  
  
Emma gave a sigh of relief. She was so glad she didn't make a complete fool of herself. She smiled back at him. "You remember EVERYTHING about that day?" She folded her arms and rested them in front of her on the table. "Like what?"  
  
Sean had a distant look in his eyes as if he was replaying the moments of that day in his head. "I remember being late to the reception. I remember messing with my shirt the entire time I was walking there. I must have tucked it in and out three times before I made it to the reception. Geez, an that tie...!!" He laughed quietly to himself. "I remember that stupid thing itching my neck the whole time. I just wanted to rip it off!"  
  
Emma smiled. "Thanks for deciding to leave it on. You looked very handsome."  
  
Sean took a quick sip of his soda before continuing. "Everyone was already dancing by the time I got there. For some reason, I so was nervous about seeing you that I needed to stop for a minute to take a breather. I wanted to stand back and take a look at the crowd before joining in the party. I remember watching you for a while. You looked so calm and happy. So much better than when I saw you a few hours before. You were so worried that the wedding wasn't going to happen and you were convinced that it was all your fault."  
  
Emma nodded. "And you said that everything was going to be okay. And you were right."  
  
"You were, without a doubt, the most beautiful girl there."  
  
Emma felt herself blush.  
  
"I couldn't remember for the life of me why you were the only person out there not dancing. Then, I saw you look at me. And when you started to walk towards me, I felt like the luckiest person in the world that the most beautiful girl of the party was coming to talk to ME. You had every right to not invite me to the wedding after everything I had put you through in the past. But, for some reason, you asked me to come to one of the most important events of your life. And I'm glad that you did." He leaned forward. "The song 'Just Jane' was playing in the background," he replied softly with a shy grin. "I somehow got the courage to ask you to dance with me without sounding like a complete dork. I remember dancing for only a few seconds before we kissed." He paused for a moment. "When we kissed, it was the moment I finally felt that my life was just about to get better. I remember finishing that dance with you and not wanting to ever let you go."  
  
Emma felt her eyes watering. That was, by far, the most romantic story she had ever heard. It was almost hard to believe that the moment Sean described had actually happened...to HER. Compared with her perspective of their first kiss, Sean's version of that day surpassed anything she expected to hear.  
  
Sean focused away from that split moment of his past and came back to reality. As embarrassing as it was telling Emma the things he had just said, he was glad she brought up the subject. He was able to look back and recall the way he strongly felt about her back then. He realized that his feelings for her in the past were exactly the way he felt about her now. His feelings never changed.  
  
Emma looked down at her watch and nervously cleared her throat. "I have to go," she said disappointedly. "My parents are having dinner with Joey and Caitlin tonight. I promised to baby-sit my brother." She started to get up, but stopped. "Maybe you can drop by later?" she asked hopefully. "I can't leave the house, but we could still hang out if you want. Jack should be asleep by 8:00 tonight. We could rent a movie...or we can just talk." She was glad that she got to talk with Sean this afternoon. It had been so long since they got to sit and hangout and not just sit and study or do homework together. She hoped to continue their conversation.  
  
Sean smiled and nodded. He looked down at his keys on the table and picked them up. "Sure!" he replied excitedly. "Actually, I was about to test drive my bike." He held up his keys. "Do you want a ride home?"  
  
Emma was surprised with the invitation. "Really? ...are you sure?"  
  
Sean stood up. "I've got an extra helmet." He nodded his head towards the door. "Let's go." 


	13. Chapter 12

Just a quick warning before starting this chapter. There will probably be some confusing stuff about Devon in this chapter, but I promise that it will become a lot clearer in the upcoming chapters. Also, this is finally where the "meat and potatoes" of the story actually begins.   
  
Chapter 12  
  
Emma slowly walked up to Sean as he pulled books out of his locker to slip into his backpack. She was nervous and excited at the same time. It felt so good to see him that morning. They spent most of Saturday together. They couldn't hang out on Sunday because Emma had plans with her family the entire day. It was only one day of not seeing Sean and she missed him like crazy. It felt just like old times--the "times" when they were a "couple". "Hey!" she said cheerfully with a smile.  
  
Sean looked up and saw Emma approaching him. He gave her a warm smile. "Hey," he said gently.  
  
Emma looked down at Sean's wrist that was wrapped safely in an ACE bandage. "Did you hurt your wrist again?" she asked concerned.  
  
Sean shook his head. "No," he replied as he held up his left wrist. "It's actually my first official day of basketball practice since the accident, and I just wanted to wear this just in case." Sean was a nervous wreck inside. He was playing his first game of the season in a few days and he felt that he wasn't ready. He hadn't practiced with the team in weeks. He was also nervous because today was the day he was supposed to find out what he made on Kwan's test. He managed to BARELY keep his grades high enough to play basketball that season and to also keep his student welfare. Unfortunately, English was his worst subject, and he knew that Kwan's class would determine if he remained in that position. He broke away from his thoughts to focus back on Emma. He smiled again. Emma was the THIRD reason why he felt so nervous, but to him, it was a "good" type of "nervous." He closed his locker. "Let me walk you to homeroom."  
  
Emma lightly squeezed the books in her arms closer to her chest. "Sure," she replied as Sean allowed her to walk ahead of him as he gently rested the tips of his fingers against the small of her back. He used to do that all the time when they were dating. Sean doing that gesture at that moment made Emma want to squeal with excitement.  
  
Emma quickly took a seat next to Manny as Sean walked towards Mr. Simpson in front of the classroom to talk about an extra credit assignment.   
  
Manny leaned closer to Emma with a sly smile as she watched Sean. "So…" she whispered. "by the glow in your face, I can see that you had a pretty good weekend."  
  
Emma nodded as she tried to contain her burst of happiness. "Well, I had a lot of fun Friday night at the sleepover, and I spent the whole day on Sunday at the park with my brother and parents."  
  
Manny nudged her playfully. She hated it when Emma teased her by withholding very "juicy" information. "After school, I want to hear ALL the details," she replied quickly before Sean took a seat next to Emma.  
  
Mr. Simpson clicked on the television in the front corner of the classroom and Liberty appeared on the screen to read the morning announcements. "Good morning, Degrassi!" she replied with a bright smile. "We've got a busy week ahead of us!" She quickly glanced at her note cards before continuing. "The first basketball game of the season will be held in our gym Wednesday evening. Come support your fellow Panthers!"  
  
Sean quickly looked down at his bandaged wrist and sighed. Emma passed him a reassuring smile.  
  
"Tomorrow night is Parent's Night," Liberty continued. "It will be a night to show off our achievement to our parents and to also thank them for their support of our school. A special edition of The Grapevine will be released this afternoon. The article featured on the front page is a special story in honor of Parent's Night, written by Emma Nelson. Be sure to pick up YOUR copy today."  
  
Emma gleamed. She decided to write a story about her experience in finding her biological father.  
  
"And finally," Liberty concluded. "This afternoon, we will find out the winner of the songwriting contest sponsored by the radio station Q107.5. The winner of the contest will perform at the grand opening of Toronto's new teen night club 'The Attic.' One of the contestants include Degrassi's very own Craig Manning! Good luck, Craig!"  
  
Sean laughed quietly to himself. He figured that Craig will not be able to concentrate until the winner of that contest is announced. Craig was so relieved to finally complete his song and submit it on Friday afternoon. Sean was pleased to hear that Devon helped Craig with the song. He suddenly leaned back in his seat to stop and think. Speaking of Devon…where WAS she?? He hadn't spoken to her since he dropped her off at Manny's house. He was surprised he hasn't heard from her since.

Devon slouched in her seat and looked up at the clock that was hanging on one of the walls in the guidance counselor's office. Jacob Miller, Devon's social worker, walked in the office and closed the door behind him. "Hey, Devon," he replied as he took a seat across from her. "Once again, I apologize for pulling you out of class today, but due to previous engagements, I will not be able to attend Parent's Night tomorrow." He tossed a file on the guidance counselor's desk. "So, we'll have to look over your grades this morning."  
  
"No problem, Jacob," Devon answered back. ANY excuse to be out of class was always a good excuse. Also, she would have felt so uncomfortable that her SOCIAL WORKER would show up on Parent's Night and not a parent. Sean was the only person that knew she was under the custody of the Department of Social Services. She didn't want anyone else in the school to know about her situation. She was paranoid of being talked about.  
  
Jacob started to flip through the file as Devon watched quietly. "Your grades are good…" he looked up. "But I think we both know that they could be better. Don't you agree?"  
  
"Sure," Devon answered completely uninterested.  
  
Jacob continued to flip through copies of graded assignments as he spoke. "I was disappointed to hear about the detention you had to serve last week." He tossed the papers back on the desk and leaned back in his chair. "Care to elaborate on what had happened?"  
  
Devon rolled her eyes. She hated it when her social worker started to act like a shrink. "My best friend and I were running late for school, so we drove here…FASTER than we should have." She smirked. "I guess it DID defeat the purpose of making it on time. We were still late to class because we were called to the principal's office." She looked over at her social worker across from her. She knew he was waiting to hear something in particular, so she decided to go out and get that out of the way. "It won't happen again, sir. I promise."  
  
Jacob nodded with approval. That was all he wanted to hear before he continued with their meeting. "Now, in general, are you adjusting well here in Toronto?"  
  
Devon stopped to think for a moment. "Yeah," she answered back as she nodded. "I think I am. I mean, Mrs. Hoffman has been very generous to me. She's always asking if I'm hungry," she added as she laughed. "I also get to hang out with my best friend again."  
  
"So transferring you here in Toronto temporarily was a good idea," Jacob replied. "You used to live in this area and you are surrounding yourself with people you know well. It's good to hear that the adjustment process hasn't been too…stressful," he paused reluctantly. "…considering your situation, of course."  
  
With Jacob's last statement, Devon knew what he was going to ask next.   
  
"How are you doing…emotionally?" he asked.  
  
Devon started to get irritated and defensive. "I haven't had any 'mentally unstable' situations if that's what you're asking," she snapped.  
  
Jacob held his hands up to signal Devon to calm down. "Devon, don't get angry," he replied in a calm tone. "As your social worker, it is my responsibility in making sure you are getting everything you need. I see that your physical and educational needs are being met. Just remember that your emotional needs are important also." He pulled out a different file from his briefcase. "I met with Dr. Weinstein Friday afternoon." He glanced through the copy of Devon's medical chart in his hand. "You've been attending all of your sessions with him the past few weeks, which I am pleased to hear." He looked at Devon with a concerned look on his face. "But you and I both know that attending the sessions are only halfway through the healing process. Your chart shows that you have been refusing to participate."  
  
Devon flinched. She hated the way Jacob said "healing process" in reference to her situation. It made it sound like she was broken or something. "Look--these 'shrink sessions' were never my idea. DSS is making me go to them. I'm showing up, but it doesn't mean that I agree that I need to talk to a psychiatrist."  
  
Jacob sighed. "Are you at least taking the medication Dr. Weinstein prescribed to you?"  
  
Devon sighed frustratingly and got up from her chair to pace around the room. She wanted to get this meeting over with. "Can we not talk about this?" she asked as calmly as she could.  
  
Jacob ignored her statement and continued on the subject. "It's been well over six weeks now, and he thinks that it might be a good idea to increase the dose---"  
  
"Can we NOT TALK ABOUT THIS?" Devon raised her voice to the point where it echoed within the four walls of the office.  
  
Jacob quickly decided to no longer upset his patient. "I apologize, Devon." He extended his hand out and pointed towards her seat to signal her to sit back down. "Let's talk about your future placement."  
  
Devon decided to sit back down when the conversation was steered away from her mental health. "Fine," she replied through gritted teeth.  
  
Jacob took a deep breath. "Keep in mind that this situation in Toronto is only temporary. We are both aware that Mrs. Hoffman only agreed for you to stay with her until we found you a more permanent placement."  
  
"Were you able to find me a foster home in Toronto?" Devon asked.  
  
"I'm still looking," Jacob answered, then started to shake his head. "…but it doesn't look promising."  
  
"What about a home back in Wasaga?" Devon asked hopefully.  
  
Jacob paused awkwardly. "Devon…" he sighed. "I'm going to be completely honest with you. You've been kicked out of two foster homes because of your behavior. With your age and your record…it's going to be hard to find a family who will want to keep you long-term."  
  
Devon shook her head. "But we're not TRYING to get me anywhere long-term," she replied sternly. "I only need a place to stay until my mom comes back."  
  
Jacob hesitated. He knew that what he was going to say next will escalate Devon's temper. "Devon…it's been 5 months now. I don't want to be pessimistic, but we have to cover ALL our bases here. That includes accepting the possibility that your mother might not come back to find you." He pulled a packet out of one of the files. "This is an option for you," he replied as he handed Devon a brochure. "It's a shelter for teenagers who are in situations like yours. Instead of foster care, they stay here. You've got a place to sleep and eat. There's a high school down the street where all of the residents attend. The staff will also teach you skills for daily living, like cooking and money management, to prepare you for when you're on your own. All residents stay there until they are the legal adult age."  
  
"So I have to stay in this ORPHANAGE for two years??!!" Devon asked angrily. "I don't need to go to this stupid place. I KNOW how to take care of myself. I did it for months!" She looked at the cover of the brochure, then looked up at Jacob. "This shelter is in British Columbia!" She shook her head and tossed the brochure on the floor. "I'm NOT going." She got out of her seat again. "My mother WILL come back for me. But the only places she knows where to look are here and Wasaga. I'm not going anywhere else!"  
  
Jacob knew that it was going to be difficult to convince Devon to accept her situation. He picked up the brochure. "Look, there won't be an opening at this place for at least 2 months. Mrs. Hoffman has agreed to let you stay with her until then."  
  
Devon felt a heaviness in her chest. She started to feel hopeless. "So…you're pretty much saying that I've run out of options?"  
  
Jacob suddenly remembered something. He reached in his coat pocket and pulled out a thick, sealed envelope. "Actually, I wanted to leave your best option for last." He handed her the envelope. "That came in the mail last week." He smiled. "A thick letter almost always means it's an acceptance letter! I promised you that if you were accepted, I would do everything I could to make sure you had the funding."  
  
Devon looked at the letter addressed to her. That sealed envelope meant there was a big opportunity waiting for her. The letter in her hands had an opportunity that she has worked so hard for. It was almost too perfect. Instead of opening it, she slipped it in her binder. "I've got two months to think about what to do…" She looked up at Jacob. "right?"  
  
Jacob gently tapped Devon on the knee. "Take your time, okay?" He started to stack the files into his briefcase. "This meeting has definitely been stressful on you." He snapped his briefcase shut. "Just remember you can talk to me if you need anything. You've also got Mrs. Hoffman and even Dr. Weinst--" he stopped. He knew better than to even mention Devon's psychiatrist as a confidant. He suddenly realized something. "You've got your best friend, too." He jogged his brain to remember Devon's friend's name. "Sean, right? You've told me a lot about this guy. It's obvious that you trust him. Talk about this situation with him."  
  
Devon shook her head. "I can't."  
  
"Why not?" Jacob asked confused.  
  
She looked up at him. "Sean doesn't know."  
  
Jacob leaned forward. "What doesn't he know?" he asked. "The situation about your mother?…your placement?…your…" he stumbled to try to find an appropriate way to address her emotional instability. "…history?"  
  
Devon sighed. "Sean doesn't know ANYTHING that's going on." She looked back at Jacob. "He doesn't even have a clue." 


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13  
  
"Here are last week's exams," Mrs. Kwan announced as she walked from row to row handing her students their exams. "I was very pleased with a good bit of them," she replied with a small smile as she handed Liberty and Emma their papers. "It's a good way to start off the school year." She paused for a moment and frowned as she continued to hand out the exams. "There were other scores I was very disappointed in seeing," she added as she placed Sean's exam in front of him face down on his desk. "For those of you who did not do well, I will be more than happy to discuss what you need to work on after class."  
  
Sean glanced up at Mrs. Kwan, then looked down at the paper in front of him. He closed his eyes briefly, took a deep breath to prepare himself for what he was going to see, then slowly turned over his exam. He felt his stomach churn over and hit the floor.  
  
At the end of class, Emma gathered up her books and scooped them into her arms. She looked over at Sean who was staring at his exam. He was very quiet and distant throughout class. "Sean?" she asked concerned. "Are you okay?"  
  
Sean quickly folded up his paper so Emma couldn't see his grade.  
  
"Did you want to eat lunch together?" Emma asked hopefully.  
  
Sean sadly shook his head. "…I can't," he answered coldly. Without an explanation, he got up and walked away.  
  
Emma watched Sean walk up to Mrs. Kwan's desk and realized that Sean did not do well on the exam.  
  
Manny walked up to Emma. "There's a spirit squad meeting during lunch," she replied. She noticed Emma was staring at Sean and not listening. She grinned. "But, I guess you weren't planning on having lunch together anyway, right?" Emma didn't hear Manny's comment. She was still focused on Sean. She didn't even notice Manny saying "bye" and walking out of the classroom.  
  
Sean looked around and waited for all of the students to leave the room before pulling up a chair next to Mrs. Kwan's desk.  
  
Mrs. Kwan straightened the stack of papers in front of her, then folded her hands on her lap. "What can I do for you, Sean?" she asked, although she already knew what Sean was there for.  
  
Sean nervously cleared his throat and unfolded the exam in his hand. "I was wondering if I could talk to you about a possible extra credit assignment to help this grade."  
  
Mrs. Kwan sighed. "Sean…you know that I don't offer extra credit--especially so early in the school year." She looked up at him. "BUT, I'm more than happy to go over the exam with you, so you can understand what questions you missed." Sean remained calm. "Mrs. Kwan, I need to pass all of my classes to keep my student welfare." He looked down at his paper and shook his head. "I also need to keep my grades up to play basketball this season." He was hoping that those explanations would be enough for Mrs. Kwan to have pity on him.  
  
Mrs. Kwan disappointed shook her head. "I AM aware of your situation, Sean…but if anything, those two things should only encourage you MORE into doing well. They shouldn't be excuses for teachers to be willing to offer you extra credit all the time. This is just one exam. Student welfare only review your grades every quarter. I'm certain that you will pass this quarter if you work hard." She shrugged her shoulders. "As for basketball…I'm not sure how Coach Armstrong works. It's up to HIM on deciding whether you should play or not." She remained stern. "Regardless, I'm not going to reconsider offering you extra credit."  
  
Sean felt his blood boiling.  
  
"BUT, I will be happy to help you review your exam," she repeated pleasantly as she reached out to look at Sean's exam in his hand.  
  
Sean rudely snatched the paper away from her. "No thanks," he snapped. He stood up. "Anyone with a HEART would at least TRY to be understanding." He turned around and stormed out of the room before Mrs. Kwan could respond. Sean was so angry and upset that his vision started to get blurry. He didn't even notice that Emma was waiting outside of the classroom for him. He just walked on by.  
  
Devon found a spot on the front steps of the school during lunch and sat down. She opened the binder in front of her and pulled out the letter that was given to her that morning from her social worker. She blankly stared at the addressed letter to her as she took a bite of her sandwich. The letter was still sealed. She thought about the meeting she had with her social worker and realized that she only had a few weeks until the fate of her placement was to be decided. Because of her rebellious behavior, no more foster homes were willing to accept her. That fact did not upset her. She hated foster homes. She also did NOT want to go to the shelter in British Colombia. She also knew that her mother was not going to come back for her any time soon. Devon sighed as she slipped the unsealed letter back into her binder. It felt like she didn't belong anywhere. She pulled out a copy of The Grapevine from her book bag and unfolded it.  
  
"Hey," a voice replied in front of her.  
  
She crumpled the newspaper in her lap and squinted her eyes to look up and see who walked up to her. She smiled. "Hi!" she replied back. "It's 'Craig', right?"  
  
Craig smiled back and sat down next to her. He continued to smile, but said nothing.  
  
Devon nervously inched away from Craig. His perky silence was almost…creepy. "Can I help you with something?" she asked.  
  
"I guess you haven't heard yet," Craig replied still grinning from ear to ear. He paused dramatically before continuing. "I won!!" he exclaimed as he triumphantly threw his fists in the air.  
  
Devon started to get even more creeped out. She had no idea what this guy was rambling about.  
  
Craig rested a hand on Devon's shoulder and shook her playfully. "I won the songwriting contest!!"  
  
Devon's memory quickly came back to her. "Oh yeah, that's right!" she replied. She remembered running into Craig in the music room the week before. "Congratulations!" She was almost a little confused. She barely even knew Craig, yet he was sitting next to her sharing very exciting and personal news.  
  
Craig detected Devon's confusion. "YOU should be happy, also," he explained. "You're half the reason why I won! Remember, you helped me write the song."  
  
Devon shrugged her shoulders as if it was no big deal. "I only gave you a suggestion on how to re-organize your song, Craig. YOU wrote the lyrics! As far as I'm concerned, you deserve every bit of the credit." She smiled. "So, congratulations," she repeated.  
  
Craig shook his head and disagreed. "I definitely owe you BIG time," he replied. "If you need ANY favors from me, let me know." He held out his hand. "Deal?"  
  
Devon looked at Craig, then looked down at his hand. She shook her head. She still didn't understand why Craig was so convinced that she had helped him win, but she decided to go ahead and amuse him. She shook his hand. "Okay…it's a deal."  
  
As the two shook hands, Sean walked out of the school and trudged down the school steps. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even realize he past Craig and Devon.  
  
"Hey, man!" Craig called out, but Sean did not reply back. He walked towards a nearby bench, threw his stuff on the ground, then sat down. He took out a sandwich from his backpack and adjusted the volume to his walkman as he ate his lunch by himself.  
  
"Sean!" Craig called out even louder and started to stand up.  
  
Devon looked over at Sean and realized how upset he looked. She quickly grabbed Craig's arm and lightly tugged it. "Now's not the time, Craig," she said. She pointed at one of her ear lobes. "Sean's got the headphones on."  
  
Craig sat down and looked back at Devon. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"Rule number one," Devon explained. "NEVER bother Sean when he's got the headphones on. That means he doesn't want to talk to ANYBODY. Even me." She started to get concerned. "Something must really be bothering him."  
  
Craig was a little surprised with Devon's explanation. "How do you know that?" he asked.  
  
Devon rested her chin on the palm of her hand. "Sean is the type of guy who just likes to be alone sometimes. He's not a 'talker.' He never says what's on his mind. Sometimes, he just likes to be left alone. He visited me in Wasaga Beach the summer before his Grade 9 year. He was telling me how people would approach him when he's sitting by himself and start talking to him as if he requested for their company. Usually, when he sits by himself, it's because he wants to be alone. It's not necessarily because he hates being around people…it's just that sometimes, he just wants to sit…and think. He told me that he wished he could find a way to 'look' busy, so people would know not to bother him. So, before he left to come back to Toronto, I bought him a walkman. That way, he could either 'look' busy listening to music…OR if someone approached him and started talking to him, he could easily drown them out by keeping his headphones on." Devon laughed lightly. "I know…it's kinda weird. But, he actually liked the idea."  
  
Craig sighed, then stood up. "I guess I'll tell Sean my good news some other time when he DOESN'T want to be alone." He gave a quick wave as he walked off. "I'll see you later."  
  
Devon waved back, then took another glance at Sean. He just sat on the bench with a blank look on his face. She decided to give him his space and talk to him when he was ready to talk.  
  
She looked back down towards her lap to continue reading The Grapevine. She smoothed out the wrinkles of the front page and looked at the picture of the featured story. The picture was of Emma standing next to a man. Devon started to read the article Emma wrote. It was a story about Emma meeting her biological father, Shane. Apparently, her father was in an accident and suffered head injuries that effected his mental capabilities. As a result, he had to live in a home where he would have to be cared for and looked after for the rest of his life. Emma grew up knowing very little about her father and assumed that her father wanted nothing to do with her. However, Emma's mother withheld information regarding Shane to protect Emma. In reality, Shane had been waiting to see Emma. Devon read how Emma's reunion with her father was a life-changing experience. Devon took another glance at the picture of Emma and Shane. They were apart for most of Emma's life, but the whole time, they have been wanting to meet each other.  
  
The only thing Devon knew about her own father was his name. She had come across her birth certificate one day and read the name of her birth father. She never tried to find him because her mother insisted that he did not want to have anything to do with her life. What if her mother was lying? What if her father has been looking for her this whole time? What if he wanted to meet her as much as she wanted to meet him? Devon stuffed the newspaper and the rest of her lunch in her book bag and stood up to walk back into the school. What if she DID find her father? Would social services be willing to let her live with him?  
  
Emma took a long, deep breath before gathering up the courage to approach Sean. She walked up to Sean at the bench and stood in front of him. "Hey," she said nervously.  
  
Sean looked up at Emma, then looked back down without saying anything.  
  
Emma stood there awkwardly for a moment. Did his silence mean to leave him alone, or was it an invitation to go ahead and sit with him? She nervously bit her lip, then sat down next to Sean. She sat quietly with him for a moment, then turned to face him. "You seemed really upset since Kwan passed out the exams. Is everything okay?" she asked. Sean didn't even look back at her. Her only response was the blaring of music from Sean's headphones. "Sean," Emma replied as she gently rested her hand on his arm. "can you at least talk to me?"  
  
Sean sighed agitatedly as he slid the headset off one of his ears. "Emma, I'm sorry," he replied quickly. "But I just need to be alone right now, okay?" Without waiting for a response, he slipped the mini speaker back over his ear and turned up the volume of his walkman.  
  
Emma frowned, stood up, and quietly walked away. 


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Sean was running late for basketball practice that afternoon. He promised Mr. Ehl earlier to help clean up after shop class, and the task took longer than he anticipated. He tossed his gym bag on the floor of the locker room and quickly threw on a different T-shirt. He kicked open the door of the locker room to exit towards the gym, but the door quickly jolted to a halt. Coach Armstrong peered around the other side of the door.

Sean took a few steps back to allow Coach Armstrong to enter the locker room. "Sorry, coach," Sean replied. "I didn't realize you were on the other side of the door."

Coach Armstrong rested his hands on his hips. "Sean—" he started.

Sean held up his hands in defense. "I know I'm late, coach," he quickly interrupted. "But I PROMISE this will never happen again."

Coach Armstrong sighed and extended his arm out towards one of the locker room benches. "Have a seat, Sean."

Sean felt uneasy about Coach Armstrong's tone. He had a feeling that their conversation was not going to be about his tardiness.

Coach Armstrong sat down next to Sean. He hesitated before speaking. Sean was always one of his best athletes. He hated to be a bearer of bad news. "I hate to tell this to you, Sean...but I'm afraid that you're not eligible to play for Wednesday night's game."

Sean stared at Coach Armstrong for a few seconds before responding. It was as if he was hoping Coach Armstrong would change his mind if he remained silent. He held up his left wrist. "If it's about my wrist, coach, it's fine. The doctor 'okay'ed it and everything."

Coach Armstrong rested a hand on Sean's shoulder. "I reviewed everyone's grades this afternoon..."

Sean could have sworn that his heart stopped beating for a split second. He knew where Coach Armstrong was getting at.

"I know that you've been running a little behind with your classes because of your accident, which is completely understandable," Coach Armstrong continued. "Unfortunately, that doesn't exempt you from the rules. The rule is: if you're not passing you're not playing. As of this afternoon, you're failing English." He sighed again. "I'm sorry, Sean. You can't play in this week's game."

Sean felt his temples pulsating as he took fast, deep breaths. He was trying as hard as he could to not lose his temper.

When Sean did not respond, Coach Armstrong continued. "Now this does not mean that you are out for the entire season. Our next game is in 2 weeks. That gives you enough time to improve your grade in English."

"So what do I do in the mean time, coach?" Sean snapped. "Warm the bench for 2 weeks?"

Coach Armstrong forced a small smile and tried to remain positive. "Participate in the practices everyday. Go to the game on Wednesday and support your team. Study harder to bring up your scores. You are STILL a part of this team."

Sean wasn't listening. All he thought to himself was: 'If MRS. KWAN offered me extra credit we wouldn't be having this conversation. If MRS. KWAN didn't post my exam grade this afternoon, Coach Armstrong wouldn't have seen it, and I would be playing on Wednesday.' He gritted his teeth as he stood up. "I'm outta here," he mumbled. He angrily snatched his gym bag from off the floor, practically punched the door to swing it open, and stormed out of the locker room."

"Sean!" Coach Armstrong called out. But it was too late. Sean was on a rampage. He had no idea what to do at this point. All he knew was that he was angry and he had every intention on acting on that.

"Another informative meeting, Emma," Liberty commented as she adjusted her glasses.

Emma and Liberty were walking out of the library where Emma held one of her environmental club meetings.

"Also, I've been hearing nothing but great reviews about your article from The Grapevine," Liberty continued. She smiled. "Good job!"

"Thanks," Emma replied back.

"Do you want to grab a smoothie from The Dot this afternoon?" Liberty asked.

Emma shook your head. "I can't today, Liberty," she answered back. "I promised to catch up with Manny after her spirit squad practice."

"Then, I guess I'll see you tomorrow morning," Liberty replied back.

Emma watched Liberty walk away and turned around to head towards her locker. She was halfway down the hall when she heard a noise coming from one of the classrooms. As she inched her way closer, she realized that it was Mrs. Kwan's classroom. She nervously turned the knob and cracked the door open. She quickly peeked inside and gasped. Right as she peeked in the room, Sean swung his arm across Mrs. Kwan's desk and swiped everything to the floor. Emma looked around. Some desks were turned over and posters on the walls were tilted to the side. She pulled the door completely open and barged inside. "Sean!" she exclaimed. She looked around frantically with a confused look on her face. "What are you doing?"

"Me?" Sean looked over at Emma, picked up a notebook from the floor and threw it at the chalkboard in the front of the room. "Nothing," he muttered sarcastically. He was about to pick up another object from off the floor, but Emma grasped his arm to stop him.

"You're going to get yourself suspended!"

Sean rolled his eyes as he exhaled loudly.

Emma knew that gesture meant he was not in the mood for someone to tell him the difference between what was right and wrong. She quickly let go of his arm.

"Just stay out of this Emma," he replied. "This has nothing to do with you."

"Can't you just tell me what's going on?" She took another look around the room. "Was it something Kwan did?" She realized that it was after school and Sean was supposed to be at basketball practice. "Did you have an argument with Coach Armstrong?"

Sean kicked a chair next to him and it slid a few inches across the floor before toppling over. He was about to walk away and find something else to throw or shove, but Emma grabbed his arm a second time.

"Sean!" she called out again.

Sean roughly pulled his arm away from Emma. "I said STAY – OUT – OF – IT !" he screamed.

Emma flinched and took a few steps back. The tone of his voice surprised her.

At that exact moment, Paige and Manny were walking down the hallway. They have just finished their spirit squad practice. They both heard yelling from Mrs. Kwan's classroom and they wanted to see what was going on. Manny looked through the doorway and was surprised to see Sean and Emma in the middle of the cluttered room. She looked over at Emma. "Em?" she asked. "Is everything okay?"

Sean didn't even notice Manny and Paige standing at the doorway. He was focused on the look of fright on Emma's face. She had taken a few steps away from him as if she thought he was going to hit her. The last time he saw that frightened look from Emma was during his Grade 7 year. He had gotten in a fight with Jimmy. Emma ended up in the middle of it, and in the heat of the moment, Sean had accidentally shoved Emma to the ground. His eyes softened as he reached out a hand to her and took a few small steps towards her. "Emma," he replied quietly. "I didn't mean to—" He stopped when Emma's eyes started to tear up and she backed up even more.

Emma looked behind her and noticed Manny and Paige staring at her. She looked back at Sean. "I—I have to go..." She turned on her heels and darted out of the classroom.

Manny threw Sean a dirty look, then chased after Emma. "Em!" she called out. "Wait!"

Sean agitatedly ran his hands through his hair and sat down. He pressed the base of his palms against his temples and exhaled to calm himself down.

Paige stood there for a moment and decided not to comment on what she just saw. As far as she was concerned, Sean was in one of his temper tantrums, and the last thing she wanted to do was be in the middle of it. She quickly tip-toed backwards and turned around. She couldn't believe what she just witnessed. It was such juicy gossip, she HAD to tell the first person she saw. As she was passing the MI lab, she noticed Ashley sitting at one of the computers. Paige grinned to herself, turned back around, and walked into the MI lab towards Ashley.

Devon stared at the computer screen. She realized that she had been staring at the particular site online for the past 10 minutes. She decided to stay after school and hang out in the MI lab. She wanted to run a web search on her father. She stared at the results of her search. There was only one "Francis Andrew Steinbacker, Jr." in Canada. And he was only 45 minutes away from Toronto. 'This can't POSSIBLY be him,' Devon thought to herself. 'It's too easy...'

"Pssst," a voice whispered from behind her. Devon turned around and noticed Ashley Kerwin looking back at her. "Do you mind?" Ashley asked as she pointed at the pencil in Devon's hand.

Devon looked at the pencil that was placed between her fidgeting fingers. She didn't realize that she had been tapping the eraser of her pencil against the table for the past 10 minutes. "Sorry," Devon whispered back. She turned back around and put her pencil down. She folded her hands in front of the keyboard and stared at the screen again for a few more minutes. She bit her lip and nervously started to tap the tips of her fingers against the table. She gave in. "It won't kill me to at least check it out," she quietly muttered. She grabbed her pencil and quickly scribbled the person's address and phone number on a sheet of paper.

At that moment, Paige practically ran into the MI lab. "Ash!" she called out.

"Shhh!!" someone hissed from the back of the lab.

"Sorry," Paige whispered back. She took a seat next to Ashley. "You'll never guess what JUST happened in Kwan's classroom.

Ashley rolled her eyes. "Is this really worth knowing?" She was almost afraid to find out what Paige was so excited about.

Paige leaned closer. "Sean practically DESTROYED Kwan's room."

Devon's ears perked up when she heard Paige talking about Sean. 'What lies is she spreading around?' she asked herself.

Ashley was shocked and confused all at once. "Was Kwan in the room?" She asked. "What happened?"

Paige shrugged her shoulders. "Kwan wasn't there and I'm not really sure what brought all of that on," she answered back. "All I know is that Emma was trying to stop him and Sean practically tore her head off." She rolled her eyes. "Typical Sean, right? Getting angry at the world and everyone in it?" She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I mean, really, I don't know what Emma sees in him."

"Someone needs to tell Raditch and Kwan about this," Ashley replied concerned.

At that moment, Devon quickly gathered up all of her stuff on the table and stood up.

Ashley and Paige both looked up and quickly stopped talking. They forgot that Devon was in the room.

Devon turned around, leaned against the table behind her to get closer to Paige's face. "You know, you have no right to announce other's people's business around school of it has absolutely nothing to do with you," she snapped. She turned around and stormed out of the lab.

"You know," Paige yelled out after Devon. "you have no right to listen in on other people's conversations!!"

Sean continued to rub his temples to calm himself down, but he was still worked up over what just happened. Actually, he was still worked up over his entire day. "I'm such a loser," he muttered angrily to himself. He couldn't believe he just snapped at Emma. He knew she was just trying to help, but he needed to take his frustrations out on SOMEBODY. Emma was just the first person he saw. He stood up and clenched his fist. He picked up a stack of books on the back table and threw them across the room.

At that moment, Devon walked into the room. She raised her eyebrows. Sean really did quit a number to the place. She set her binder and book bag on top of a desk next to Sean's walkman.

Sean rested his hands on top of the table and leaned forward. He sighed as he hung his head shamefully.

Suddenly, he noticed an object floating below his chin. He quickly turned around and looked up and noticed Devon standing next to him holding up a textbook.

Devon shoved the textbook in his face.

"What are you doing?" Sean asked agitatedly.

"Well..." Devon looked around the room. "if you're going to be angry enough to destroy this room, you better do it right!" She held the book up again. "I think you were so lost in the moment with that last throw, you missed one."

Sean looked at Devon, then looked down at the book. He snatched it from Devon's hand and threw it across the room as hard as he could. He threw it so hard, that he was nearly out of breath. He turned around and saw some loose articles on a desk nearby.

Devon held up finger and was about to say something, but it was too late.

Sean swung his arm and the objects flew off the desk. He didn't realize those objects were Devon's bookbag, Devon's notebook, and his walkman until they hit the floor. "Dammit!" he muttered.

Devon rested her hands on her hips and gave Sean a nice, long once-over. "Better?" she asked.

Sean flipped a chair right-side-up and sat down. He looked around the room, then shook his head. "No," he answered back.

Devon pulled up a chair next to him. "I didn't think so." She knew that Sean's destructive tantrums never solved any problems. She only knew this because she acts out in the exact same way when she's angry, and every time, she realizes that her problems never seemed to be resolved. She kicked a box of Kleenex at her feet, then looked back at Sean. "So what's the special occasion that has lead you to festively decorate Kwan's classroom?" she asked playfully to lighten the mood.

"That exam I took last week for English..." Sean replied. "I found out today that I failed it."

Devon gave a sour face. "Ouch."

Sean nodded. "She's not offering any extra credit for me to make it up, and now I have to struggle all quarter to keep my grade in English high enough to keep my student welfare."

Devon nodded with acknowledgement. "That's a good reason to be angry."

"That's only the half of it," Sean continued. "Coach Armstrong's not going to let me play until I improve in Kwan's class." He sighed. "And in the middle of all of this, I yelled at Emma earlier, which she definitely didn't deserve. Now she's probably never going to speak to me."

Devon didn't respond. What WAS there to say after all of that? Instead, they sat quietly together for a moment.

Sean suddenly realized that this was the first time he had spoken to Devon since he dropped her off at Manny's sleepover? "Anyway, enough about me..." he said. "where in the world have you been? What's been going on with you?"

Devon sighed. 'Where should I start?' she thought to herself. 'My social worker just told me that I'm supposed be shipped to a shelter in British Columbia in 2 months, which as might as well be a prison cell, unless I find an alternative place to live. Also, I've decided to find my biological father, which only a few minutes ago, I found his home address that is only 45 minutes away from here. So besides being frustrated and scared out of my mind....' She looked back at Sean with an expressionless face and shrugged her shoulders casually. "Nothing, really," she answered out loud.

Sean looked around the room and scratched his head. He took a deep breath in. "I guess I better start cleaning up before any of the faculty finds out about this." He started picking up chairs and standing them back up.

Devon started to help him by picking up loose objects, like textbooks and pencils. "Well, at least you managed not to break any of Kwan's stuff."

Sean saw his walkman on the floor and leaned over to pick it up. "Well, KWAN'S stuff didn't get broken..."

Devon walked up behind him and looked over his shoulder. She frowned when she saw that the present she gave him a little over a year ago was broken.

"I guess I deserve that, huh?" Sean asked. "Of everything I threw in this room, the ONE thing that broke was something that belongs to me." He put his walkman down and walked over to Devon's bookbag and binder. "Did I wreck any of YOUR stuff?"

Devon picked up her bookbag. "Probably not," she answered back. "I don't really own anything breakable in here."

At the same time, Sean picked up Devon's binder. He took a second glance towards the floor and realized that something had slipped out of the binder. He bent over again to pick it up. He flipped it over and realized it was a sealed letter. He read the front of it. "Montreal School of Music?" He looked over at Devon. "What's this?"

Devon saw Sean holding her mail and panicked. She quickly snatched it from him as a reflex. When she realized she accidentally startled Sean in the process, she switched her demeanor and kept it cool. "It's—It's nothing."

"I heard that school is a big deal," Sean replied. "Did you apply there?"

Devon smirked. "Like they'd really accept me, right?" she said sarcastically.

Sean tried to grab the letter back from her, but Devon pulled it away from him. "You haven't even opened it yet. How would you know?"

"They just sent me a brochure," Devon replied quickly to cover her tracks. "My social worker heard that I could play the piano and thought that it would be an option to try for." She shook her head. "What a dumb idea..." She unzipped her bag and stuffed the letter inside.

Sean curiously raised his eyebrows. "If it's a dumb idea...then why are you KEEPING the brochure and not throwing it away?" He smiled. "Come on, Dev. It sounds like a great opportunity for you! You should GO for it!"

Devon frantically tried her best to focus the attention back on Sean. "Speaking of 'going' for it, shouldn't you be trying to stay on the basketball team? Passing English?" She looked around the room. "Or better yet, cleaning this place up, so Kwan doesn't murder you tomorrow?"

Sean frowned. "Or maybe I should start trying to figure out how to get back on Emma's good side."

Devon shook her head. Of all things, he really got himself into a hole with his situation with Emma. "Well, after hearing how you yelled at her for no reason?" She gave a nervous laugh. "If you want your head to stay attached to your body...I would wait until tomorrow to talk to her."

Sean nodded in agreement, looked around the room one last time, then gave a tiresome sigh.

Emma sat on the school steps, still trembling from what had happened.

Manny sat down next to her and wrapped her arm around her friend. "Sean's such a jerk," she commented.

"Something's obviously bothering him," Emma thought out loud to herself.

Manny looked at Emma with disbelief. "Are you going to ignore the fact of what he had just done to you? You TOTALLY did NOT deserve that."

Emma looked back at her. "That's just what Sean does when he's upset."

Manny nodded angrily. "That's right. He takes things out on people for HIS problems." She was starting to worry about Emma. Emma and Sean broke up the FIRST time because of an incident similar to this afternoon's. She was beginning to have second thoughts on whether Emma should REALLY attempt to get back together with Sean. "Do you actually think he deserves another chance with you?"

Emma thought hard about Manny's question. She honestly didn't know how to answer that.


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15  
  
The bell rang throughout the hallways, signaling the end of the period. Everybody quickly started to gather up their things, but Mr. Simpson interrupted them. He held his hands up. "Hold on a minute, guys!" he stated. "Just a reminder that I have not completely graded the exams from last week. So, for those of you who think you did poorly on it…" he paused to grin mischievously. "don't worry. Those grades WON'T be shown to your folks tonight at Parent's Night."  
  
His announcement brought some sighs of relief throughout the room. Sean slid his book bag strap over his shoulder and saw Emma walking out of the classroom. He quickly started to make his way towards her, but was stopped by Mr. Simpson. "Sean," he called up from the front of the class. "I need to speak with you."  
  
Sean broke away from the crowd of students exiting through the doorway, and nervously walked up to Mr. Simpson's desk. "Yes, Mr. Simpson?"  
  
"It's about the extra credit assignment you requested for yesterday…" he answered back. "It turns out that I can't let you do one."  
  
Sean tensed up. No extra credit for Kwan's class and now no extra credit for Simpson's? "Why?"  
  
Mr. Simpson pulled out an exam from a stack of papers and handed it to Sean. "I can't let you do any extra credit for me…" he smiled, "because I don't think that it will be necessary."  
  
Sean looked down at his exam grade and had to blink his eyes a few times. Was this right? "B plus?"  
  
Mr. Simpson nodded. "By far your best grade in my class. Good job." He shrugged his shoulders. "I know I told the class that I haven't completely graded everyone's tests, but I figured you would have wanted to know what you got. You looked concerned yesterday and thought you didn't do well. I thought I'd spare you from another day of torture."  
  
Sean smiled and looked up at Mr. Simpson. "Thanks, Mr. Simpson." He looked back down at his grade. He was beaming.  
  
At that moment, Devon walked up to the doorway. She was hoping to catch Sean before he made it to his next class. He was so upset the day before about Kwan, Armstrong, and Emma. Devon just wanted to make sure that he was doing okay. She spotted Sean talking to Mr. Simpson, and stepped back to allow them to finish their private conversation.  
  
Mr. Simpson nervously cleared his throat. "I know that this is out of the student/teacher aspect of out relationship, but I wanted to ask you something as a friend and also as a concerned father." He paused for a moment before continuing. "How's everything going with you?" he asked. "Emma seemed a little upset yesterday afternoon when I saw her after school. She wouldn't tell me everything that has been going on, but she did express a concern about you."  
  
Sean shook his head. "I've just been pretty stressed out over my grades, staying on the basketball team, and keeping my student welfare." He sighed shamefully. "Emma was just around me at the wrong time…" he pretty much just trailed off from there. He didn't see a need to go into more details.  
  
Although Sean did not continue with a more thorough explanation, Mr. Simpson was able to understand the situation. He smiled warmly and rested a hand on Sean's shoulder. "You used to be able to tell me your problems, Sean. I hope that you will trust me enough to come to me when you feel that you need a friend to talk to."  
  
Devon smiled to herself. Mr. Simpson seemed like a pretty cool guy. She was glad that Sean had a male figure to confide in. She decided to step back and allow the two to continue with their conversation. She'll just catch up with Sean after school.  
  
Devon was not able to catch up with Sean that day until he was halfway home from school. He was walking with Craig. "Hey, guys!" she called out as she ran up to them. She looked over at Sean. "So?…Did you get a chance to talk to Emma?"  
  
Sean smirked. "She wouldn't even let me within 6 feet from her," he answered back with a frown. He looked at Craig and Devon. "I really screwed up things with her this time."  
  
Craig gave a reassuring smile as he looked at Devon. "I told him that the best way to tell a girl you're sorry is through flowers. LOTS of flowers."  
  
Devon shook her head. "Really lame."  
  
Sean nodded in agreement. "That's what I said. …It's just not my thing."  
  
Craig shrugged his shoulders. "Hey--do you want to get her to talk to you or what?" He looked back at Devon. "Devon, are you actually telling me that it wouldn't make your day if a guys sent you a dozen roses?"  
  
"No," Devon replied as she shook her head. "Flowers are so generic. Especially roses? It's just not personable."  
  
Craig laughed haughtily. He had never heard of a girl not liking flowers. "I feel sorry for all of your boyfriends in the past. You must have made them feel bad when they gave you flowers."  
  
"Actually…" Devon started to slow her pace. "No one has really ever given me flowers…"  
  
"Oh." Craig wanted to smack himself in the back of the head for stating such a insensitive remark. "Sorry."  
  
Devon nudged Sean playfully. "I DO agree with Craig in GIVING Emma something. The only way to get her within 2 feet from you is to get her attention. Just give her something that personally MEANS something to her." She reached over to pinch Sean's cheeks. "Then, show her those dimples of yours. I don't think she'll be able to resist a guy who gives her a present, shows his dimples, and begs and pleads with her."  
  
Sean brushed Devon away with embarrassment. He hated it when anyone commented on his dimples. It made him feel like a little kid. As the three of them approached Sean's driveway, Craig waved. "I'll see you two at school tomorrow." He nodded at Sean. "Good luck with Emma."  
  
Sean watched Craig walk off. "Thanks, man. See you."  
  
As Devon walked into Sean's apartment, Sean pressed "play" on his answering machine. They both heard a quick beep and listened to the recorded message.  
  
"Sean?" a voice called out.  
  
They both stopped dead in their tracks. They both knew whose voice that belonged too.  
  
"Sean…it's Mom." The woman nervously paused before continuing. It was obvious that she was scrambling to find something to say. "I just wanted to see how everything was going. With the accident and everything…" she paused again. "I just want to know if you're okay. You haven't returned any of my phone calls. Dad and I are just worried about you sometimes---"  
  
Sean didn't let the message finish. He just quickly pressed the "erase" button. "Yeah," he snapped sarcastically. "Mom and dad are worried about me NOW…" He smirked. "Whatever…"  
  
Devon set her book bag down on a chair nearby. "Still not talking to the parents?"  
  
Sean didn't answer. He just looked at her with a "what-do-you-think" expression.  
  
"Okay," Devon answered back awkwardly. "Let's just forget we ever heard the message…"  
  
"Fine by me," Sean answered back as he pulled out a piece of paper from a binder. He grabbed a shoe box that was underneath the living room table and removed the top. The piece of paper he pulled out was the exam he received from Mr. Simpson earlier that day.  
  
Devon sat next to him and looked at the exam. "B plus?" She was impressed. "Good job, Sean! Watch out, Kwan!"  
  
"It's just an MI test," Sean answered back. He folded the exam and tossed it in the shoebox.  
  
Devon stopped him before he placed the lid back on. "What is this, anyway?" she asked as she peeked inside. Inside were pictures and newspaper clippings. She flipped through the items. The newspaper clippings were from The Grapevine and each cut-out article featured Sean in some way. One was about how he was picked as MVP in wrestling one season. Another was about the basketball team making regionals. There was a picture of him working on a project for Mr. Ehl's class and another one of him working on a car (Mr. Simpson's car). Devon pulled out a folded piece of paper from the box and skimmed through it. It was a copy of the paper work Sean had to fill out to be emancipated. "What is all this stuff?" she asked curiously.  
  
"Just stuff I've collected since I left Wasaga of things I've done," Sean replied. He folded up his B exam and added it to his collection. "Just to remind me that my life is so much better when I'm NOT with my parents."  
  
Devon smiled at him. "I'm proud of you, Sean," she stated and meant it. She only wished she could show him a collection of accomplishments she has done with her life. She sighed. The only thing was that she couldn't. As far as she was concerned, she has never done anything in her life to be proud of. For a split second, she was actually jealous of Sean. His life was so much better since he has moved to Toronto. A small part of her wished the same thing would happen to her, but reality sunk in the pit of her stomach. With the way her life was going, she would never even come close to Sean's life. 


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16  
  
Emma sighed sadly as she dragged her feet down the hallway. She was sad that she has not spoken to Sean since that incident 2 days ago. It bothered her that the two of them were so close to getting back together, then at the blink of an eye, they were back to being strangers again.  
  
"Hey, Em!" a voice called out behind her.  
  
Emma turned around and smiled. "Hey, Manny."  
  
Manny looked over at Emma with a look of concern. "Are you okay?"  
  
Emma shrugged and forced a smile. "I'm fine."  
  
Manny shook her head. "You don't have to lie, Em." She tugged Emma's arm playfully. "What you need is some cheering up! There's a basketball game tonight. You should go! Some players from the team and some of the girls from the Spirit Squad are going to The Dot after the game."  
  
Emma contemplated. "I don't know…" She really wasn't in the mood to be displaying any type of school spirit.  
  
"Come on!" Manny cried as she tugged on Emma's arm even harder. "If you don't want to come to watch the game, then at least come to support me and the Spirit Squad!"  
  
As they turned the corner, Manny turned to branch off towards homeroom, while Emma continued to walk towards her locker. "I'll think about it," Emma answered back.  
  
Manny gave a victorious smile and turned to walk into the classroom.  
  
Emma continued down the hallway and took a deep breath. On her way to her locker, she noticed Sean and Devon standing in the hallway in mid-conversation. They were both laughing and obviously enjoying each other's company. Emma gritted her teeth. She has been jealous of Sean and Devon's time together since Devon starting coming to this school. She turned her head and slightly ducked down to hopefully avoid catching Sean's eye. He has been trying to talk to her for a few days now, and she has made quite the effort in ignoring him. As she approached her locker, she noticed an envelope sticking out. She curiously slipped the envelope out of the crevice it was stuffed in and opened it. She couldn't help but smile. She had an idea who this gift was from.  
  
"So did you get Emma something?" Devon asked as Sean popped open his locker.  
  
Sean nodded.  
  
"And is she talking to you now?"  
  
Sean looked over at Emma's vacant locker and saw the envelope still poking out. "We'll find out in a few minutes." He was hoping to linger around his locker long enough to catch Emma and her reaction to his gift before homeroom. He sighed nervously and started to stuff books in his backpack. "If she won't talk to me today, I'll try to catch her at tonight's game." He had agreed to come support the basketball team, even if he would not be able to play. He looked at Devon. "What time did you want to leave for the game tonight, anyway?"  
  
Devon shifted her feet nervously. She clenched her teeth together and squinted her eyes. "I completely forgot."  
  
Sean stopped stuffing things in his backpack. "Forgot what?"  
  
"I'm working tonight. It's actually my first day."  
  
"Work?" Sean was confused.  
  
"That's why I wasn't able to catch up with you this weekend," Devon explained. "I was off job hunting. My social worker thought that it would be a good way to manage my time and hopefully make me more responsible." She rolled her eyes. "He also thinks that I won't have time to get into trouble and get into detention." She scratched her head. "I also need the money. I've got a lease on my motorcycle and I'm already late with the payment this month. I'm leasing through a friend, so he usually lets me pay late. Unfortunately, I'm going to be more late than usual this time…I hope he doesn't consider taking it from me."  
  
"Do you need me to lend you some money?" Sean asked. "I don't have much, but I trust that you'll pay me back--"  
  
Devon brushed off the offer. "Please don't worry about it."  
  
Sean stopped and realized something. "So…are you telling me that you had no intention in making it to the game this entire time?"  
  
Devon shrugged her shoulders as if it was no big deal. "You're not playing anyway."  
  
Sean stopped her. "That's true--BUT you were looking for a job this PAST weekend and agreed to start working today. At that time, I still thought I was playing in tonight's game." He smiled to himself as he continued to give Devon a hard time. "Devon Simmons--you were actually going to INTENTIONALLY MISS your best friend's first basketball game of the season!" He placed a hand over his chest as if he was stabbed. "I'm hurt!"  
  
Devon playfully shoved Sean to shut him up. "Don't you DARE start giving me a hard time over NOTHING," she replied in the middle of her laughter. "I'm not in the mood for this." She looked up and noticed Emma made it to her locker while the two of them were talking. She smiled. "Well--whatever you gave Emma--she definitely likes it." She nudged Sean and walked off. "Go get her, tiger."  
  
Sean took a deep breath and smoothed out the wrinkles of his shirt before approaching Emma. He walked up to her and forced a nervous smile. "Hey."  
  
Emma looked up from what she was reading and blushed. "Hey," was all she could bring herself to say.  
  
Sean looked down at the card in Emma's hand. "Do you like it?"  
  
Emma couldn't find a way to express how grateful she was. Sean had gone online and discovered that people can adopt endangered animals. He had donated money to adopt a Mama Onu, an endangered sea turtle Emma was fond of. "I LOVE it, Sean," she cooed. She smiled sweetly. "Thank you so much."  
  
Sean leaned against the locker next to him. "Emma…I am so sorry about what happened the other day. This gift shouldn't give you any reason to FORGIVE me…but I hope it will show you how truly sorry I am for hurting you." He looked up at her with a lop-sided smile and a look of hope in his eyes.  
  
Emma looked back at Sean. His crooked smile revealed a small hint of the dimple in his left cheek that she could never resist. He was sincere. He was sweet. She couldn't help but NOT be mad at him.  
  
"Tell you what," Sean continued. "Let me treat you to dinner after the game tonight. My treat. We can continue our conversation over veggie burgers and fries." He smiled even more broadly. "What do you say?"  
  
Emma smiled back shyly. "I would love to." 


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17  
  
"That game was AWESOME!" Paige exclaimed as she pushed open the front door to The Dot. Hazel, Jimmy, Spinner, Manny, and JT trailed inside after her. They quickly claimed their usual table.  
  
JT pulled his chair next to Manny. "Did Emma say if she was coming?"  
  
Manny frowned for a moment before answering. "Actually…she IS coming. In fact, she's coming with--"  
  
Before she could finish, the door swung open again and Sean and Emma walked inside. Paige looked up at the couple, then at Manny. After Monday afternoon's incident, she wasn't expecting Sean and Emma to walk ANYWHERE together. She leaned across the table to whisper to Manny. "Are you serious?" she asked with disbelief.  
  
Manny shook her head. "I know," was all she could mutter before Emma approached the table. She forced a smile. "Hey, Em." She didn't even look at Sean.  
  
Emma waved at everyone at the table. "Hey, guys! Is there room for two more?"  
  
Spinner and Jimmy stood up to grab two more chairs that were set at the adjacent table.  
  
"Have you guys ordered yet?" Emma asked as she sat down next to Sean.  
  
Spinner looked around the restaurant and smirked. "I have no idea if they even have enough staff today. I gave up my shift tonight because of the game. I kinda told the manager last minute, so I'm not sure if he was able to find someone at such short notice."  
  
"You guys look a little crammed at this table," a voice replied above everyone's heads. "Do you want to push some tables together?"  
  
Everyone looked up to see who their waitress was and Sean nearly fell out of his chair. "Dev?" He looked around the restaurant. "You're working HERE?"  
  
Devon looked over at Sean and punched him in the shoulder. "Yes, I'm working here." She watched Sean as he fought as hard as he could to not burst into laughter. It was obvious how amused he was with her situation. "Go ahead and laugh, Sean." She gave a devilish grin. "But we'll see who gets the last laugh when you discover an unusual taste in your food."  
  
Manny felt her stomach churn inside of her. She was disgusted of how Devon was actually flirting with Sean in front of Emma.  
  
Hazel wrinkled her nose. "Ew, gross." She looked at Devon. "NOT a good thing to mention in front of customers."  
  
"Sorry." Devon composed herself back into a professional manner. She smoothed out her apron and pulled out a pad and pen. "What can I get you guys?"  
  
As everyone shouted out their orders, the front door swung open a third time and a handful of students from the rivalry school walked in.  
  
Spinner smirked. "Uh oh, guys. Here come the losers."  
  
The small handful of cheerleaders and basketball players glanced over at their table, but said nothing. They took a table in the opposite side of the restaurant and kept to themselves. Spinner balled up a napkin and threw it towards their direction.  
  
Paige rolled her eyes and shoved Spinner. "Real mature, Spin."  
  
Spinner held up his hands and shrugged his shoulders. "What?" he asked. He didn't see a problem with his gesture. "Come on, honey bee. All of us know how stuck up those Glenbrook guys are. Their school is so rich that they can afford top-notch coaches. It's not MY fault their coaches weren't good enough to help them with tonight's game."  
  
Devon looked nervously at the Glenbrook students. Glenbrook was THE rival school of Wasaga Beach High School. She was concerned that one of the students might recognize her. She looked back at the table in front of her. "I'm going to put your orders in," she told them. "I'll go ahead and get your drinks." She walked over behind the counter and started scooping ice for their drinks.  
  
One of the Glenbrook cheerleaders walked over to the counter. "Excuse me. Can we get some service here?" she asked rudely.  
  
Devon looked up and she felt a lump form in her throat.  
  
The cheerleader had to take another glance at the employee behind the counter. "Devon…Simmons?" she asked. "Is that you?"  
  
It was as if Devon's worst nightmare was coming true. The cheerleader in front of her was Marcy Spencer. She used to attend school at Wasaga. Her family ended up moving to a nicer neighborhood, leaving her in the Glenbrook school zone. "Hi, Marcy," she replied as politely as she could.  
  
Marcy gave a snooty laugh. "Word has it that you were forced to transfer out of Wasaga. I had no idea you ended up in Toronto." She looked at Devon up and down. "It's only appropriate that you would be serving me and my friends."  
  
At that moment, Sean walked up to the counter and started grabbing the glasses Devon was filling up with Coke. "I was wondering if you needed help bringing these over to the table."  
  
Devon quickly looked back at Marcy. "I'll be over at your table in a minute."  
  
As Marcy walked away, Devon grabbed the remaining glasses and walked with Sean back to the table.  
  
Sean glanced over at Devon and noticed that she had suddenly become very quiet. "Are you okay?"  
  
Devon forced a smile as she placed the drinks in front of his friends. "I'm fine. I guess the first day jitters just hit me. It's starting to get pretty busy now."  
  
Sean leaned over to whisper to her. "Well, good luck. I'll make sure these guys behave for you tonight."  
  
Devon nodded. She knew that the Degrassi group wouldn't give her problems tonight. She looked over at Marcy and her friends. Everyone was huddled around Marcy as she whispered excitedly to them. She briefly glanced over towards Devon as she spoke. Devon knew she was talking about her.

An hour later, Devon was clearing the dirty dishes from the table. Sean casually brushed his hand across the table top and pushed a spoon to the floor. "Oops!" He laughed. "Oh, Miss? I seemed to have accidentally drop my spoon."  
  
Devon threw him a dirty look. That was the third time that night he has done that. "So?" she asked. "What do you want me to do about it?"  
  
Sean gave her a helpless look. "Do you mind picking it up for me…again?" he playfully batted his eyes with innocence.  
  
Devon leaned over and acted as if she was going to pick up the spoon, but instead, smacked Sean in the back of the head. "Do that again, and I'll make sure you pick up your OWN spoon off the floor with your teeth."  
  
JT smirked and looked at Spinner across the table. "Geez, Spinner, I didn't think EVERY employee of this place had YOUR type of hospitality."  
  
"Shut up, JT," Spinner replied as everyone around the table laughed.  
  
As everyone dug into their pockets to split the bill, Devon walked over to the Glenbrook table to start cleaning up. Everyone at the table had already paid their bill. Half of the group went to the restroom, while the other half were gathering outside.  
  
As Devon was stuffing her tip into her apron pockets, Marcy walked up to the table with her boyfriend to double check and see if she had forgotten anything. Marcy reached in her purse and pulled out a small handful of change, but instead of handing it to Devon, she opened her palm and allowed the change to drop to the floor. Devon watched the coins scatter under the table, then looked back up at Marcy with a scowl on her face. The loud ringing, made by the coins hitting the hard surface, had turned a few heads from other tables.  
  
Marcy walked up to Devon and made her remark in a low voice. "I guess homeless losers like yourself are pathetically desperate for every penny they can get their hands on." She kicked a few coins towards Devon's feet. "Clean up this mess." With that said, she turned around, grabbed her boyfriend's hand and started to exit the restaurant.  
  
Devon felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment as her eyes slowly started to water. She knew that other customers heard Marcy's remark, including the Degrassi table. Without a second thought, she crouched down and grabbed as much change as she could in one sweep. She stood back up, quickly darted towards Marcy and threw the coins has hard as she could, hitting Marcy in the back of the head. "Ma'am? I think you forgot your change," she stated sarcastically through her gritted teeth.  
  
Everyone at the Degrassi table gasped, and Sean quickly stood up. He couldn't believe what had just happened.  
  
Marcy turned around. She was so shocked, she was speechless. Her boyfriend lunged towards Devon, and Devon immediately shoved him away. Devon walked up to Marcy until their faces were only inches apart. "I'm sorry," Devon replied in a mocked polite manner. "Did you have something else to say?"  
  
"Devon!" a voice screamed from the back of the restaurant. Everyone turned around and saw a very livid manager standing there with his arms crossed. He pointed towards the back door. "Break time. NOW!!"  
  
Devon stormed across the restaurant and flew out the back door.  
  
Sean walked over to Marcy, as Marcy was helping her boyfriend back to his feet. "What the HELL is your problem?" Sean asked.  
  
Marcy looked at him as if he was crazy. "Are you actually going to ATTEMPT to defend that worthless piece of trailer trash? I mean, you don't even know anything about that girl."  
  
"Actually, she's a friend of mine," Sean answered back defensively. "YOU don't know anything about her."  
  
Marcy's boyfriend started to lunge towards Sean, but she grabbed his arm to stop him. She grinned mischievously. "A friend of yours, huh?" She smirked. "Good luck, then. You've got a real sympathy case in your hands." She tugged her boyfriend's arm towards the door. "Let's get out of here. We need to stay clear of 'Miss Pyscho' back there. God only knows what she would do next."  
  
Sean watched the couple walk away as he stood there completely stunned. He ran a hand through his hair. What in the world was all of THAT about?  
  
Paige quickly threw her wallet in her purse and stood up. "Guys, let's get out of here," she told the rest of the group. "This place is getting out of control."  
  
Sean walked up to Emma and pulled her aside as the rest of the group started to gather up their belongings. "I'm sorry to keep this night short for us," he whispered to her. "But I have to see what's going on with Devon." He looked at her hopefully. "See you tomorrow?"  
  
Emma was a little disappointed that her date with Sean was ruined. She forced a small smile. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."  
  
As Sean walked out of the restaurant, Manny walked up to Emma. "What's going on?" she asked.  
  
"Sean's going to check up on Devon," Emma answered back disappointedly.  
  
"So is Devon a priority over you?" Manny asked rudely.  
  
Emma quickly glanced at Manny. Where was that resentful comment towards Sean coming from?  
  
"It's just something to think about, Em." Manny hated to hurt her friend's feelings, but someone had to point out the truth. With Sean's temper and unpredictable friend, Manny was convinced that a relationship with Sean would be bad news for Emma.

Devon quickly untied her apron, tore it off, and threw it on the ground. She stomped towards a garbage can nearby and kicked it hard with her foot.  
  
Suddenly, her manager walked outside after her. "Explain…NOW."  
  
Devon took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again."  
  
The manager shook his head. "You can't act that way towards customers, no matter how rude they are to you."  
  
"I'm SORRY," Devon said a second time.  
  
Her manager stood there quietly as he debated on what to do. After an awkward silence, he said, "I'm demoting you to dishwashing duty for a month. After a month, I'll CONSIDER re-hiring you as a waitress."  
  
"A month?"  
  
The manager shook his head. "Take it or leave it, Devon. Take a few more minutes to calm down, then I want you to go back inside and clean up." He turned around and walked back inside.  
  
"Great!!" Devon screamed to herself. "There goes my motorcycle payments!" She sat on the back steps and buried her head in her hands.  
  
"So…is it safe to come back here?" a voice asked. "Or are you going to start throwing stuff at me, too?"  
  
Devon looked up and saw Sean walking towards her with his hands nervously in his pockets. She shook her head and said nothing.  
  
Sean stood there quietly for a moment. When he realized that Devon wasn't going to respond, he decided to say something to lighten up the conversation. "You're not on your period, are you?" he asked with a playful grin.  
  
Devon looked at Sean again with an annoyed look on her face.  
  
Sean picked up a cardboard box next to him. "Here," he replied placing it at Devon's feet. He pointed at it. "Go ahead! Throw it. Kick it. …Tear it into shreds! You obviously need to get some aggressions out."  
  
Devon looked at the box and shook her head. "It's not the same as what's been going on with you, Sean."  
  
Sean shrugged his shoulders and pushed the box closer to her. "Of course it is, Dev. Things are pissing you off, and you need to take it out on someone…" He pointed at the box again. "Or in this case some THING." When Devon didn't touch the box, he sighed and sat down next to her. "Look, Dev. Something is obviously bothering you. But, I mean, you'll get PAST it. Just like I am with my problems. People don't get us, Dev. They don't get that we have to be destructible in some way to get through our problems. So…do what you need to do! Squash that box! Or turn some garbage cans over."  
  
Devon clenched her jaw and looked at Sean. "NO, Sean. What's going on with me ISN'T just 'problems.' It's my life. And I can't just 'get past' it."  
  
Sean carefully observed his friend. Devon can usually tolerate people who are rude to her. She's never reacted this way to a total stranger before. "What did that Glenbrook cheerleader say to you that would make you so angry? She had the nerve to call you trailer trash and a psycho. But what really bothers me was the way she was talking about you. …She was talking as if she KNEW you from somewhere."  
  
"She used to attend Wasaga Beach High School before transferring to Glenbrook," Devon explained. "Her friends from Wasaga must have said some things about me."  
  
Sean was getting even more confused. "Why would anyone talk about you?" He stopped as he continued to look at Devon. He suddenly realized that there was a whole part of Devon's life that she has been keeping from him. "Devon…what is going on?"  
  
Devon sighed as a tear rolled gently down her cheek. She quickly brushed it away with her index finger. She couldn't hide anything from Sean anymore. She had to tell him the REAL reason why she was in Toronto. "You want to know what she did to make me so angry?" she asked. "Well…" She looked at Sean square in the eyes. "She said I was pathetic and called me a 'homeless loser'."  
  
Sean was disgusted. Those were harsh words. "Don't let stupid remarks like that bother you, Dev. She doesn't know you."  
  
Suddenly, Devon's single tear was followed by a stream of tears that flowed down her face. "No, Sean…you don't understand. She DOES know me. She said the TRUTH."  
  
Sean leaned back for a moment. He shrugged his shoulders as he shook his head. "What are talking about?"  
  
Devon wiped the tears from her face before continuing. "I was homeless." She looked at Sean to see his reaction. It was as if he didn't believe what she just said. "I was homeless for over three months before DSS found out."  
  
Sean still didn't believe her. "No. You TOLD me that you here because your mom is a hopeless drunk."  
  
"No, Sean. I didn't TELL you anything. You just ASSUMED I was here because my mom was a drunk. You never really ASKED me anything."  
  
After listening to Devon, Sean was almost scared to ask his next question. "Well, I won't assume now. So…I'm ASKING you, Devon. …What has been going on in your life that has been so bad to the point where you felt you had to hide it from me?"  
  
Devon took a deep breath before she began her story. The things she was going to say were going to shock Sean. She only hoped that the things she has been hiding from him won't change the special friendship they have. She looked over at Sean, who was mentally preparing himself for what he was to hear next. She sighed and shook her head as she accepted the truth. Things ARE going to change between them. It was undeniable.

Dear Readers,

It has been so long ago...but do you remember my summary at the beginning of the story? There's a part of the summary that states: _"Sean soon discovers that his friend has been carrying around a dark secret, and this secret will challenge the loyalty of their friendship."_ Well, the NEXT chapter will elaborate on what that means.

Hope you're enjoying the story,

DCSBadGirl


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18  
  
Devon adjusted herself on the steps to get comfortable and pulled her knees up to her chin. "Mom was actually doing okay for while. There was that point in time when she KEPT a job for more than 6 months. We moved into a fairly decent apartment complex. Don't get me wrong…she was still drinking pretty steadily, but her job was surprisingly able to support her drinking habits AND the bills. Then…she started dating this guy. He was just as annoying as all of her other boyfriends…but there was something…different about him."  
  
"What do you mean by different?" Sean asked.  
  
"He was never around when I was in the apartment," Devon answered back. "He made sure to only drop by when I wasn't there, and when I WAS there, he would make sure that he and my mom would leave and go somewhere else. Suddenly, bills started to get unpaid. We had no electricity for, like, 2 weeks one time because my mom didn't pay the bill. So, I took it upon myself to start working. I would work immediately after school waiting tables. I worked everyday, even weekends. I managed to keep the IMPORTANT bills paid every month. We didn't have a phone or cable, but we had water, electricity, and a roof over our heads. As for food, I would eat at school for lunch and eat dinner at work. I was so busy going to school and working, that I didn't see my mom for weeks at a time. I guess I was so busy that I didn't even notice the subtle changes in our apartment. It started off with my mom wearing less jewelry. Then, CD's started to sporadically disappear. Pretty soon, my mom would leave the house with a bag of clothes 'claiming' to do laundry. I never really questioned her when she came back from the Laundromat with only half the amount of clothes she left with. I never really started to say something until furniture came up missing. First, the VCR…then a the tables and chairs…then, eventually the television…and finally the couch."  
  
Sean didn't understand. "Where was all of this stuff going?"  
  
"I waited so long to say something to my mom, because I was in denial of what she was becoming." Devon nodded. "Yes, she was still a hopeless drunk. But now…" She needed to take a brief pause before continuing. "…she had become a full-blown heroin addict."  
  
Sean's eyes slightly widened with surprise. He had no idea her mother's situation was so serious.  
  
"Apparently, her new boyfriend introduced her to that way of life. It turns out that he never wanted me around--not because he thought I would lecture my mom to not use--- but mostly because he thought I would steal their stash for myself. My mom started to become just as paranoid as him. Her appearance also started to change. She lost a lot of weight, she had dark circles under her eyes that never went away, and the idea of 'good hygiene' to her was nonexistent. My mom had stopped going to work for WEEKS before I found out. She had been pawning off our stuff for money to buy more drugs. This new boyfriend of hers WAS different," Devon stated with a smirk. "He never yelled me. He never molested me. He never hit me." Her eyes began to tear up again. "He just took away the only thing I had left in my life: my mom."  
  
Sean leaned forward with interest. "What happened to her?"  
  
"I came home one day after work and realized that my key couldn't unlock our door. I woke up the landlord and, for some reason, he was surprised to see me. He said that my mom and I moved out that day. I, of course, didn't believe him. He walked me to the apartment, unlocked the door with the newly installed lock, and let me in." Devon's eyes suddenly became very distant as she started to re-live the day that completely changed her life. "There was NOTHING left. She bagged up her things and took off without a trace. She even took MY stuff with her. I found out later on that she sold my things to a pawn shop nearby, so I was able to buy some of my stuff back. She was gone, and she had no intention of taking me with her." She sighed and looked up at Sean. "So…there I was. All I had was the money in my pocket, the clothes on my back, and a small handful of possessions in a trash bag. My mom was no where to be found…and I haven't seen her since."  
  
"Why didn't you CALL me?" Sean asked Devon. He would have never thought that Devon would go through all of this and not even go to him for help.  
  
"I DID, Sean, remember? I called you when I was at work one day. You just found out that Ellie was moving away after the summer, and you were spurting off plans of what the two of you were going to do before she moved."  
  
Sean suddenly recalled that conversation with her. That was the last time he had any contact with Devon until she e-mailed him about coming to Toronto. He was so stressed out about Ellie leaving that he didn't even catch the troubled tone in Devon's voice.  
  
"I wasn't about to intrude and ruin your summer, so I decided to stay in Wasaga Beach."  
  
Sean's shoulders began to tense as he started to come into a realization. For the first time in his life, he wasn't there for his best friend when she needed him the most. He looked back at her. "How in the world did you survive on your own…with no where to go?"  
  
Devon took a deep breath as she recalled the past few months. "At first, I slept in a church. I would hide in this utility closet until the priest locked up. Then, I would sleep on one of the pews and made sure to be gone before the priest came in the morning. I took a shower at your parents' trailer every morning. I told them that mom wasn't able to pay the water bill that month, and I needed a place to shower. Your mom never really questioned me about anything else, so it was obvious that she had not been keeping up with my mom's situation at all. I would hang out at school all day, then go to work in the afternoon. When the school year was ending, I had to figure out how I was going to survive the summer. I decided that the only way to keep my options open was to make myself a fake ID. I needed to be old enough to pay for a place to stay, so I used it to get into a motel room where I had to pay by the week. I also used it to get a job as a cocktail waitress at a bar. They had open-mic nights at the bar, so on the nights I didn't cocktail, I would play piano on stage and get money from tips. So…now, I had a day job at a diner, a night job at a bar, and a place to sleep in a motel. I made enough money to ask a friend if I could lease a motorcycle from him. He gave me a steal deal that I couldn't refuse. I managed to survive the summer, and before I knew it, school started back up." As Devon's story got deeper, Sean started to look at her in a different light. This girl sitting next to him was just a shell of a person he used to know. The girl next to him LOOKED like Devon. She looked like the girl that told him everything. She looked like the girl that always came to him when she was in trouble. But as he took another glance at her…he realized that he didn't know the person sitting next to him at all. The spark in her eyes and the spunk in her personality was hidden, and all that was left of her was a sad and lonely individual who's lost hope. She was some girl who was living a completely different life that he never knew existed, and she made sure he was not a part of it.  
  
Devon looked back at Sean and noticed that he scooted a few inches away from her. She realized that he had been pushing himself farther away from her as her story progressed. As uncomfortable as Sean's actions made her feel, she decided to continue. "Unfortunately, I had to quit my day job to go to school. I kept my job at the bar because that was where I made the most money. With only one job and a motorcycle payment, I realized that it was getting harder and harder to keep my weekly payment at the motel. I was about to make a decision to cancel my motorcycle lease, but by then, DSS found out about my situation and placed me in a foster home. Actually, I ended up getting kicked out of two foster homes. My social worker tried to place me in a third home, but no one else wanted to take me in. Believe it or not, when your parents found out about what was going on, they requested for me to stay with them. Unfortunately, with their history and their situation with you, they were not approved to take me."  
  
Sean remembered that his mom was calling him frequently before his accident. She left a message every time she called, but Sean never gave his answering machine a chance to let the messages play in their entirety. He rubbed his fingers across his forehead with frustration. So, this whole time, someone was trying to tell him what has been going on with Devon, but he never took the time to listen.  
  
"In the midst of all this commotion, my life story spread throughout the school--at least RUMORS about my life was spreading around the school. I've been accused of being a runaway, a drug addict, a prostitute--you name it! My social worker decided that it would be better for me if I transferred out of Wasaga Beach and start a life somewhere where people wouldn't know about me. It turned out that Mrs. Hoffman, who was a good friend of my grandmother's, decided to let me stay with her until my social worker can place me in a foster home. So…that's how I ended up here."  
  
Sean pondered over Devon's situation for a moment and came up with an idea. "Why don't you get emancipated? Like me?"  
  
Devon started to get nervous. She knew Sean would ask that question. "I can't."  
  
"Why not?" Sean was confused. The solution was so obvious. "You were on your own for so long. I don't see how you wouldn't be approved for that."  
  
Devon felt every muscle in her body tighten up. "I just can't, okay?" She was hoping Sean would drop the subject, but his next question only made it harder.  
  
"Out of curiosity…how did DSS find out you were living on your own?" he asked.  
  
Devon didn't answer. She had already told Sean more than she wanted to. She could tell by his body language that he was barely handling all of the facts being thrown at him. She can only imagine what would happen if she told him more.  
  
"Devon." Sean called her name to get her away from her thoughts and focus back on him. He was waiting.  
  
A tear rolled down Devon's cheek as she shook her head. It was her way of saying to him, "I can't tell you."  
  
By now, Sean felt that he needed to stand up. Mostly to keep a larger distance from Devon. He looked at her from where he was standing and he was convinced that he was talking to a complete stranger. She didn't even look familiar to him anymore. "I get it," he snapped back. "You feel that you need to hide more things from me, right?" Now, his eyes started to water. Devon's lack of trust in him was killing him. "Tell me something, Dev. How did it ever come to a point where I would find things out about you…from a STRANGER?" He paced for a moment, then turned to look at Devon again. "I'm your BEST FRIEND for God's sake!" He held his hands up. "Were you even going to tell me?" There were so many mixed emotions stirring inside of him. He was hurt that Devon had been struggling alone the past few months. He felt guilty that he was not able to be there for her. He felt betrayed that Devon had the nerve to come to Toronto, look at him in the eyes everyday for the past few weeks, and act as if nothing was wrong. Most of all, he was angry at himself for being so consumed with his own life to realize that Devon was in trouble.  
  
Devon was now completely in tears at this point. "I'm sorry," she whispered back.  
  
Sean forced himself to calm down and lower his voice. He walked up to Devon, kneeled down in front of her and rested his hands over her knees. "No…I'M sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you."  
  
Devon felt she had to explain herself. "Sean…my stay in Toronto was intended on being strictly temporary. I'm actually being placed in a shelter in British Columbia in two months." She looked at him as he brushed the tears from her face. "I was happy when I found out I was coming here. For the first time in MONTHS, I was actually happy. I've spent so much time being alone, that I almost forgot what it's like to have a friend. I just wanted to use the short time I have here to be a normal teenager. I wanted to go to a school where people didn't taunt me. I wanted to hang out in detention with my best friend. I wanted to take a brief period to not worry about paying bills or wondering when my next meal would be. I didn't want to come here and burden you with my pathetic life. For once, I just wanted to put my past behind me." She shook her head. "…But after seeing Marcy, and dealing with the way she treated me…" She sighed. "It made me realize that I can't completely walk away from everything that has happened to me. My past will always be thrown in my face no matter where I am."  
  
After all of this explaining, Sean was still curious about one thing. "Why couldn't you just tell me? Why couldn't you just trust me enough to tell me what you were going through?" Devon saw the look of concern on Sean's face and realized that everything she DIDN'T want to happen was happening. She knew from that point on that Sean would be worried about her. She knew that Sean was feeling guilty and was probably angry at himself. She also knew that Sean would put his life on hold to make sure her life got better. Sean's life was fine before she came here, and now she felt as if she was intruding. She felt that the only way to keep Sean out of this situation was to push him away completely. The only way for her to push him away was to hurt him. "I couldn't tell you…" she started as she pushed his hands away. "…I couldn't tell you, because I KNEW you wouldn't understand."  
  
Sean was surprised that Devon's voice had suddenly turned so cold. "Why don't you give me a chance, then. Help me to understand. I want to know what I can do to make things better for you."  
  
Sean's last statement rang in Devon's head: "I want to know what I can do to make things better for you." That was a statement so many people have told her time and time again: her social worker, her psychiatrist, foster mothers, even Mrs. Hoffman. It always bugged her when people she barely knew and didn't care about said something like that to her. Their supposed "concern" meant nothing to her. And now Sean was saying that exact same thing? For some reason, him saying that made her even more irritated. The statement repeated through her ears again. "I want to know what I can do to make things better for you." She gritted her teeth. That was the most aggravating thing anyone can say to her.  
  
"Do you want to know how to make things better for me, Sean? I want you to walk up to me, look me in the eyes, and say: 'Devon, I understand EXACTLY what you're going through."  
  
Sean was speechless. He knew he couldn't say that to her, because it wouldn't be true. And Devon knew this.  
  
"Do you know how hard it is to confide in someone who doesn't understand you?" she asked with a smirk. "Don't get me wrong-- it's not that you don't want to…it's just that you CAN'T. You're incapable of it because you have to physically live the experience I've been through to fully understand. But instead, you have it EASY. Your life is so much better than mine. It's easy for you to look at someone less fortunate than you and offer to help," she snapped. "But I don't want anyone's help. I just want someone to tell me: 'Hey, you know what? I've been through the same situation you're in now.' I just want to know that I'm not in this alone. I just want someone I know to show me that I'm not the only person in this world going through this!" She looked at him. "But, you can't say that to me, can you?"  
  
Sean stood up and took a step back. "Dev, that's not fair." It wasn't fair for Devon to throw his life in his face…but as much as it hurt to admit it…Devon was right. He couldn't possibly understand what Devon was going through. All he could do was imagine being in her situation, and even that seemed impossible. He has been on his own, but he has never been alone. He's never felt abandoned. When he decided to be emancipated, he still had Jay, Ellie, and his other friends to support him. He had Tracker to visit him and check up on him to see if he was okay. He even had his parents calling him every now and then. He had the luxury of being in the back of other people's minds. Devon, on the other hand, was never really given a second thought. Even he was guilty of that.  
  
Devon gulped. "Let's face it, Sean. We both used to be two kids from the wrong side of the tracks of Wasaga Beach with no goals in life and hopeless parents. It was easy to be there for each other, because we were exactly alike." Devon stood up. "But look at us now! We have grown to be two entirely different people whose lives are headed in different directions." She rested her hand over her chest. "I'm still that bad kid from the wrong side of the tracks. I still have nothing in my life going for me. I still have a mom who is a hopeless drunk, but now has added 'drug addict' and 'abandoner' to her list of mistakes." She pointed at Sean. "YOU, on the other hand, are a kid who is living in one of the best school districts in the area. You're one of the school's most beloved athletes. You've got a girl who's crazy about you, friends that love you, teachers who are concerned about your well-being, and parents who actually give a damn about you to call you every once in a while. Your life is GOING somewhere…and it doesn't have a place for me anymore. I mean, we barely even KNOW each other now. Are we even friends?"  
  
Devon's question was stinging to Sean's ears. "How can you even SAY that?" he asked. "We're still friends. We always were."  
  
"Really?" Devon crossed her arms. "Did you ever tell your friends about me? Did they even know I existed BEFORE I stepped foot in Degrassi?" She shook her head with disbelief. "I know living with your parents in Wasaga sucked. But was everything from that life so bad? Were you ashamed of what your life used to be? Were you ashamed of ME?"  
  
Devon's remarks made Sean feel like he was two inches tall. He never liked to tell people about his parents or Wasaga. He only talked about it when people asked him. It was never a subject he voluntarily wanted to talk about. Other people from school already had assumptions of him before he came back to Degrassi. They already had rumors brewing in their heads about him. The last thing he wanted to do was throw more wood into the fire. He just never thought that his decision to stay secretive would burn him until this moment. He started to get defensive. "Oh, and you think you're any better? Not even telling me about your life? I kept personal things to myself from people I'm not really close to. You kept things from your own best friend." He was tired of feeling guilty. He was tired of being angry at himself. He was sick of Devon putting things on HIM. "YOU were the one who was too embarrassed to let me know about your situation. YOU were the one who allowed your pride to get in the way of seeking for help when you needed it the most. YOU were the one who decided that nobody was worth trusting but yourself." He paused for a moment to catch his breath. "YOU are the only reason why you're alone."  
  
Devon felt completely numb. She didn't know how to respond to that. "I need to go back to work," was all she could say. She turned around, walked up the steps, and walked through the back door. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it. Tears were streaming down her face again. She realized that she just hurt and pushed away the one and only person that she considered a true friend. That was the hardest thing she ever had to do. And now, from that moment on, she realized that she truly was alone.  
  
Sean ran up the steps, placed his hand on the knob of the back door, but stopped. Instead, he took his hand off the door knob and stood there, staring at the door in front of him.

................................................................................................................................................................  
Finally! Devon's secret is out! …Or at least HALF of her secret is out. Will she find the strength to tell Sean everything else? Will Sean find a way to forgive Devon? Hmmmm…  
  
Let the drama begin…


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19  
  
Sean grabbed an empty seat and tossed his book bag on the cafeteria table in front of him. He dug through his bag and pulled out his broken walkman and a screwdriver. He only tinkered around his mini project for a few seconds before someone interrupted him.  
  
"Hey, man, wassup?" Sean looked up and saw Jay looking down at him. Jay took a seat beside him.  
  
"Hey, man," Sean greeted back. "Not much going on right now." He picked up his walkman to show Jay. "Just fixing this piece of junk."  
  
Jay took the walkman from Sean's hand to take a look at it. He laughed lightly. "Was this a result of your special Monday afternoon session in Kwan's room that I've been hearing so much about from everyone?" he asked. He placed the walkman back down in front of Sean. "You know, there's a better way to get back at certain people without letting anyone else know it's you." He grinned and stretched his arms out to rest his hands behind his head. "I hear Kwan's getting a new television and DVD payer for her classroom." He leaned closer towards Sean and whispered, "I'm willing to offer my services and assist you if you promise to split half the profits with me. That way, you'll get back at Kwan and we'll both be a few dollars richer."  
  
Sean stopped to contemplate for a moment, but quickly pushed it out of his mind. He shook his head. "No way, man. I've quit that stuff remember?" He looked back at Jay curiously. "I thought we BOTH did."  
  
Jay shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say, old habits are just too hard to break sometimes."  
  
Sean shook his head again. "Thanks for the suggestion, but I'm going to try to get out of this situation the old-fashioned way. I'm going to leave Kwan alone, pass her class, get back on the basketball team, and keep my student welfare."  
  
Jay shrugged his shoulders again. "Whatever. Do what you want." He brought his hands down and rested them on the table. He decided to get serious for a brief moment. "Hey, man…seriously…wassup with you?"  
  
Sean was confused. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"I don't know. I haven't seen much of you lately. You've been busy with school work and basketball. I've even seen you hanging around Emma more." He held his hands up. "You seem to hang out with the goody-goody crowd, but no time for your REAL friends?" He caught Sean's eyes. "I thought you were my boy, Sean. My best bud, right?"  
  
Sean replayed Jay's last statement in his head. "Best bud…" He nodded to himself. Jay IS his best friend now. Devon was just someone who USED to be a good friend of his…but that was in the past now.  
  
Jay slowly stood up to leave, but Sean stopped him. "Hey!" he called out to Jay.  
  
Jay looked down at Sean to wait for what he was going to say next.  
  
Sean smiled. "Why don't you drop by after school today," he replied. "You haven't been by my place in a while. We can hang." He paused briefly. "You know, like we used to."  
  
Jay nodded. "Cool."  
  
At that moment, Craig had approached the table, and Jay took it as a sign to leave. Before walking away he pointed at Sean's walkman and leaned over to tell Sean one more thing. "Oh yeah, and with that piece of junk…you and I both know you can get one just like that for 20, 25 bucks." He grinned slyly. "But, you can always get a BETTER one." He lowered his voice even more. "A better one would be more expensive…but I know where you can get it for free…if you know what I mean."  
  
Sean looked over at Craig across the table, then looked up at Jay. "I'll see you later."  
  
As Jay walked off, Craig sat down next to Sean. He felt uncomfortable because he knew he walked in the middle of their conversation at an awkward moment. "What's up?" he asked.  
  
Sean shook his head. "Nothing."  
  
Craig folded his hands in front of him and lightly drummed his thumbs on the table top. He looked around. "Where's Devon?" he asked curiously. "I haven't seen her in class the past two days."  
  
Sean shrugged his shoulders casually as if he didn't care. "Don't know," he answered back. "But, then again, I've never really known what Devon has been up to in a while."  
  
Craig caught an eerie chill in Sean's tone and started to feel even more uncomfortable. He brushed that feeling aside for a moment and reached in his backpack to pull out a small stack of papers. "Well…I wasn't sure if Devon was really sick or something. She's in most of my classes, so I got her homework assignments for her." He pushed the papers towards Sean. "Do you mind giving these to her when you see her again?"  
  
Sean pushed the papers back to Craig. "No…you can give them to her yourself." He looked up at Craig. "I wasn't really planning on seeing her any time soon anyway."  
  
Craig noticed the coldness in Sean's voice again. "Is there something going on with you two?" he asked daringly. "Did you guys have a fight or something?"  
  
Sean let out a frustrated sigh.  
  
Craig took that as Sean's way of saying "Yes." "Are you okay?" he asked. He hasn't known Devon very long, but he knew that she and Sean were old friends. It seemed like the two of them always got along. "I could never see you two fighting," Craig continued. "I mean, all friends have their stupid arguments, but you two seem pretty tight."  
  
Sean looked towards the floor. "We normally DON'T fight," he answered back quietly. He thought back for a moment. "Actually…" he laughed lightly. "there was only ONE time where we had a fight when we were younger." He thought about that time. "We had this bet…I don't even remember what it was about…all I know was that she won and I was convinced that she cheated. Anyway, we had this dumb argument and she left swearing that she would never speak to me again." He rolled his eyes. "But, a day later, we were best friends again. As if our fight never happened.  
  
Craig nodded. "That's usually how it goes, right?" He laughed lightly also. It was amusing imagining a juvenile argument between the younger versions of Sean and Devon. He rested his elbows on the table. "So…what got you two speaking to each other again?" he asked curiously. He hesitated for a moment. "If you don't mind me asking, of course," he added quickly.  
  
Sean was about to blow off their conversation and not answer Craig's question. But, he took another glance at Craig and realized that it would be okay to tell him. Somehow…if there was anyone he would feel comfortable telling this to, it was Craig. "On the night after the fight…I came home…and Devon was sitting on my parents' doorstep." He placed one of his elbows on the table, then lifted up his hand to rest his cheek against his open palm and fingers. "Devon showing up on my doorstep was normal. She always got into some verbal argument with her mom and needed a place to hang out until everything cooled down. Or sometimes, the site of her mom's boyfriends bugged her to the point where she would rather be somewhere else but home. But, this one time was different than the other times." He looked up at Craig. "She was huddled against the front door crying."  
  
Craig leaned forward. "What happened?"  
  
Sean sighed as the image of Devon from that night flashed in his mind. "She had a cut lip and a black eye."  
  
Craig leaned back in his seat and shook his head with disbelief. "Was it her old man?"  
  
Sean shook his head. "No. Actually, it was her mom's boyfriend at the time. Her mom and boyfriend were fighting and Devon got in the middle of it to protect her mom. The boyfriend ended up beating HER." He agitatedly grinded his teeth. "Her mom didn't even defend her. She stayed on her boyfriend's side and told Devon that she should have stayed out of the argument, because it had nothing to do with her. She basically told Devon to get out. Devon had nowhere else to go…so she showed up at my place. She was only 12-years-old at the time."  
  
Craig reflected on the point of his life where he had to deal with the physical abuse from his father, and understood the hardship Devon must have gone through. "Well, she was lucky to have you as a friend."  
  
Sean took a moment to ponder over that point in time, then forced himself to get back into reality. He was still angry at Devon. That wasn't going to change. "Well, things are different now," he stated coldly. "We had a fight, but it wasn't one of those stupid, pointless fights. It was the real thing, where you realize that there is no way you can forgive the other person. We're not kids anymore." He turned away from Craig and tried to focus back on fixing his walkman. "If you knew the stunt she pulled, YOU wouldn't want to speak to her either."  
  
Craig watched as Sean anxiously tried to fix his broken CD player. He nodded. "You're right. It must be easier to be angry at Devon now."  
  
Sean looked away from his walkman for a moment and put down his screwdriver. He knew that Craig didn't know anything about the nature of his argument with Devon. He was confused about Craig's statement. "What do you mean?"  
  
Craig shrugged his shoulders. "Well, Devon's away from that environment with her mom's boyfriend now. She's no longer at risk for being abused, so you know that she won't be showing up at your doorstep with a bloody lip and a black eye any time soon." He picked up Devon's homework assignments and stuffed them back in his bag. "It's EASY to be angry at someone if you know that they're safe and that they would be okay. Knowing that would make you feel less guilty for hating them."  
  
Sean realized that a part of what Craig was saying was true, but he didn't want to admit it. Instead, he picked up his screwdriver and started working on his walkman as if he wasn't taking Craig's explanation to heart.  
  
Craig stood up and slipped his bag strap over his shoulder. "You almost have me convinced." He watched Sean pretend that he was ignoring him. He smiled quietly to himself. "You're SO mad at Devon, that you're trying your hardest to fix a 20 dollar piece of 'junk' that SHE bought for you, when you can easily buy a replacement. Or--according to Jay--you can get something even BETTER for practically 'free'."  
  
Sean remained silent as he continued twisting his screwdriver.  
  
"I guess I better get going." Craig turned to leave the table, but stopped to add one more thing. He pointed at the walkman. "You must REALLY like that thing to be taking so much of your time to fix it. …Or maybe the PERSON who gave that to you is making it worth the effort," he stated sarcastically, yet at the same time, casually as he walked away. Craig knew that the CD player was worth a sentimental value to Sean, or he wouldn't be so determined on fixing it. He hoped that he said just enough to get Sean thinking.  
  
Sean quickly dropped his screwdriver and pushed the walkman away after Craig left the table. He ran his hand through his hair as he exhaled slowly. "I'm STILL angry at Devon. I DON'T see her as a friend anymore. I DON'T care what happens to her. Besides…who cares if we've been friends our entire lives?" he thought to himself over and over again, as if repeating it enough times would convince him of that.  
  
At that moment, Emma slid in a seat on the other side of him. "Sorry, I'm late," she replied cheerfully with a pleasant smile. "I KNOW I told you I would meet you for lunch earlier, but the environmental club meeting lasted a lot longer than I thought." She looked at Sean's face expression and realized that he was stressed out over something. "Is something wrong?"  
  
Sean looked at Emma. She was just sitting there, smiling at him and looking more beautiful than ever. He thought about bumping into Jay earlier and now about Emma. JAY was his best friend now. He's been his best friend for over a year. And Emma was another bonus in his life. He had another chance to try to get back together with her, and he wasn't going to distract himself and blow that opportunity. He had another Kwan test to study for that was next week. He also needed to look forward to basketball practice on Monday. There was NO time for Devon. There was no time to hang out with her, and there was no time to worry about her.  
  
…Right?  
  
He needed to get on with his life, because it was obvious that Devon had moved on with HERS, leaving him in the dark. If that was how she wanted it, then he wasn't going to stop her. Sean looked over at Emma again and returned her smile. "You know…it's PRACTICALLY the weekend." He leaned forward to get closer to her. "What are you doing tomorrow night?" 


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20  
  
Devon tucked her legs underneath her as she readjusted herself on the living room couch. She put down her bowl of cereal and picked up the remote control. "Hmmm…let's see what other talk shows are on…" she muttered to herself. She has quickly turned into a "talk show junkie" the past two days since her argument with Sean. For some reason, watching shows that poked fun at dysfunctional families and relationships made her life feel…not as bad as it really was.  
  
"Mrs. Hoffman let me in," a voice said behind her.  
  
She turned around and saw her social worker, Jacob, standing in the doorway. She raised an eyebrow. "So…you making house calls now?" she asked sarcastically.  
  
Jacob walked around the couch and took a seat across from Devon. "I hear that you haven't been going to school the past two days. Are you sick? Do you need me to make an appointment to the doctor's for you?"  
  
Devon rolled her eyes. She hated it when Jacob asked her questions he already knew the answers to.  
  
Jacob cleared his throat. "Speaking of doctors, Dr. Weinstein told me that you've missed this week's session with him."  
  
Devon sighed, turned off the television, and tossed the remote on the coffee table. "Well, it's kinda hard to make it to a session without transportation," she remarked rudely. Yesterday, she had to call her friend in Wasaga Beach and tell him that she would not have the money to pay for her motorcycle payment this month. She was already a payment behind. This morning, someone was sent to the house to pick up her motorcycle. "I'm pretty sure you know WHY I don't have transportation, right?" She rolled her eyes again. "It's a little hard to get extra money from tips when you're washing dishes in the kitchen of The Dot."  
  
Jacob sighed. He had just spoken with Devon's manager at The Dot and found out about what had happened two nights before. He took off his glasses to rub his eyes. "You know, your explosive temper isn't going to help you with your situation." He slid his glasses back on his face. "You ARE aware that all of this has to be documented in your record, right? The incident at work. You missing a counseling session. And now you skipping two days of school."  
  
Devon leaned her head back against the sofa cushion. "Tell me something I DON'T know," she muttered in a dull tone.  
  
Jacob sat up straighter and tried to sound more stern. "Devon, you need to understand that more incidents like these are going to keep you from being accepted to that shelter in British Columbia." He leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "They require you to have an acceptable record before being transferred there. Their facility is to help people in your situation make the transition to independent living. It's a facility that will not tolerate defiant behavior."  
  
Devon smirked. "Come on, Jacob. 'Acceptable record'? They're not a prestigious private school. They're a shelter for bad kids."  
  
"Troubled teens," Jacob corrected.  
  
Devon laughed haughtily. "Whatever. They might as well call it a 'holding cell' for teenagers until they are of legal age, when they can finally be released into the real world and out of DSS custody."  
  
Jacob shook his head, then looked up at Devon. "It's a wonderful facility for you."  
  
Devon disagreed. "No, it's the LAST RESORT because you can't stick me anywhere else."  
  
Jacob shrugged his shoulders. "I've tried my best, Devon," he answered back honestly. "Foster homes are rejecting you. Mrs. Hoffman can't keep you here permanently. Unless you can find a living relative in Canada that can take you…you're going to that shelter." He stood up. "I expect you to go back to school on Monday. I also expect your manager to tell me that you worked with no problems next week," He made his way towards the living room doorway. "As for your session with Dr. Weinstein…I will take you there myself." He stopped at the doorway and turned around. "You're a good kid, Devon." He gave a reassuring smile. "I know that you're not happy with everything that is going on, but please understand that I am only arranging things in your best interest." He turned around again to walk out. "Call me if you need anything," he replied as he walked. "In the meantime, have a good weekend."  
  
Devon sat on the couch quietly after Jacob left. She knew that Jacob was doing all he could to help her. To be quite honest, she was surprised that he has been so patient with her no matter how hard she has tried to irritate him. She didn't want to aggravate him because she hated him…she was just aggravated that she had to be sent to a place she felt she didn't belong. She didn't want to go to that shelter, and she was determined to find any way to prevent her from going there. She sighed as she dug in her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. She unfolded it and saw her father's address staring back at her. She recalled what Jacob just told her: "Unless you can find a living relative in Canada that will take you…you're going to that shelter."  
  
Devon read her father's address again, then folded it up and stuffed it back in her pocket. She got off the couch and walked over to Mrs. Hoffman's desk to find a road map. She wasn't sure what will happen when she shows up on her father's doorstep tomorrow. All she knew was that it was worth the risk if it will keep her from going to that shelter. 


	22. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"Are you sure this isn't too much?" Emma asked as Manny applied more lip gloss on her lips.

"How many times do I have to tell you NOT to talk when I put lip gloss on you!" Manny exclaimed with a giggle. She picked up a tissue and handed it to Emma. "Now--blot."

Emma pressed her lips against the tissue and sighed nervously as she took another look at herself in the mirror. She looked over at Manny. "Are you POSITIVE this isn't too much?" she asked again. She kicked out one of her legs as she smoothed out her skirt. "This skirt is TOO short."

Manny grinned as she shook her head. "It's the perfect length, Em." She walked up behind Emma and admired her friend's reflection. "For the hundredth time, you look GREAT." She smiled as she stood on her toes to rest her head on Emma's shoulder. "You're going to knock Sean's socks off!"

"Why am I so nervous?" Emma shrieked as she brushed her hair for the third time that hour. "I've already been through the 'first date jitters' with Sean three years ago!" She turned around to look at Manny. "I've dated Sean TWICE for God's sake!" She turned back around towards the mirror again and panicked even more when she saw the flustered expression on her face. "What is making this date so different?"

Manny shrugged her shoulders as she hopped on to Emma's bed. "You guys are different now," she answered back. "More grown up, I guess." She picked up a magazine and started flipping through it. "Maybe the third time around, he'll actually try to find a way to not screw up your relationship," she muttered under her breath.

Emma turned away from the mirror and crossed her arms. It was obvious that her friend was still not happy about the situation with Sean. "Manny, please. I really like Sean."

Manny looked up from her magazine and noticed Emma's look of disappointment on her face. She sighed and tossed the magazine on the bed. She decided to suck up all of her negative opinions towards Sean and keep them to herself for one night...but only for Emma's sake. "I'm sorry, Em." She forced a smile. "And stop worrying about everything. Everything is going to be fine. Tonight is going to be PERFECT."

"I hope so..." Emma answered back. She started pacing, as if it would help shake out her nerves. She couldn't stop smiling. She was practically glowing. She wondered if Sean was as much a nervous wreck as she was. She picked up her purse and sweater and looked around. "Am I forgetting anything?"

Manny jumped up and grabbed her umbrella in the corner of the room. "Here, take this," she replied as she handed it to Emma. "I hear that it might rain tonight. The last thing you want is soaked hair and runny make-up on your big date."

"Argh!" Sean grunted as he untied a sloppy knot from his tie for the fourth time. He turned around to look at Craig. "I HATE these things." He gave a hopeless look. "Can you please help me?"

Craig looked up from the couch and laughed to himself. He was entertaining himself watching Sean. He was guessing how many tries Sean was going to take before asking him for help. His guess was seven times. He stood up and walked up to Sean. "Just calm down, man," he replied reassuringly as he folded a neat knot in Sean's tie. "Now, did you double check your reservation at the restaurant?"

Sean nodded. "Of course," he stated as-a-matter-of-factly. The truth was that he DIDN'T double-check. He figured one call to the restaurant would be sufficient enough. "It's for 8:00."

Craig stepped back to admire his work, then made his way back to the couch. "And where are you eating again?"

Sean loosened the knot in his tie. The tie was already annoying him. "That new French restaurant..." he stopped because he couldn't exactly pronounce the name of it.

"Le gout du Francais?" Craig asked. He scratched his head. "Um...I don't want this to come out as an insult to you in any way...but..." He looked up at Sean. "Are you going to have enough money? Also..." He held up a finger. "Do you even know any FRENCH?"

Sean sighed and pulled out his wallet. "I SHOULD have enough money," he answered as he counted the bills in his wallet. "If anything, I'll let Emma order first. If her meal is more expensive than I planned...then I'll make sure I'll get the cheapest thing on the menu." He looked up from his wallet to look at Craig. His friend looked skeptical about his plan. "Look. I just want to take Emma to a nice restaurant. A REALLY nice one." He shrugged. "Because she deserves it. If I have to drink water and eat a side salad, then fine."

Craig started to dig in his pocket. "I'm only doing this because your may pal..." He tossed a few bills on the living room table. "Take this just in case." He started to shake his head. "The water is probably $20 alone!" He looked at Sean in his tie, then thought about the over-the-top restaurant he was going to take Emma. "You know..." He was taking a risk saying this. "...if Devon was here, she would say that this whole fancy date thing...isn't you. She would probably force you to change your plans and do something more laid-back and low-key." He flinched a little as he anticipated on what Sean was going to say on that comment.

"Well, Devon's not here now, is she?" he replied back coldly. He was irritated because he knew that Devon WOULD say that. She would have told him to be more like himself. But, tonight...he didn't want to be like himself. He didn't want to wear his bandana and baggy jeans tonight and take Emma to The Dot. He wanted to IMPRESS her.

Craig realized that Sean had NOT tried to patch things up with Devon and decided to change the subject. "Now...what are your plans for after dinner?" he asked as Sean picked up the money from the table.

Sean sighed as he sat down on the chair next to the couch. "I was thinking about taking a walk through the park. Then, we can come back here and watch a movie or something." He pointed at the open cupboard in the kitchen. "The popcorn is bought and ready be popped."

Craig raised his eyebrows. He was impressed. "Very romantic."

Sean nodded. The truth was that he was spending practically all of his money on the dinner at the fancy restaurant. He didn't really have enough to do much of anything else.

Craig ran over to the counter and picked up a paper bag he brought over. "Since you guys are making your way back here, I figured this would go perfectly with your popcorn." He pulled out a bottle of wine and two wine glasses. "Joey and Caitlin have bottles of these things at home. They won't even notice one's missing."

"Alcohol?" Sean asked. He shook his head. "No way, man."

Craig laughed lightly. "I don't expect you guys to get completely WASTED." He glanced proudly at the bottle. "You only need a sip or two for a romantic atmosphere." He held it up. "What do you say?"

Sean had to admit. It sounded like a good idea. "Sure. Why not."

Craig placed the wine in the refrigerator, then walked back into the living room. "So...you've got the dinner reservation, the popcorn, the wine..." He stopped to think if Sean missed anything. "How about a present? Chocolates...stuffed animal..."

Sean stood up. "Flowers!"

Craig stared at him with disbelief. "Are you serious? After being trashed by you and Devon for SUGGESTING flowers...?"

Sean shook his head as he started to walk towards his room. "Well...what can you say. I got her flowers." He continued to walk down the hallway. "I actually bought them last night."

Craig started to have a bad feeling. "You bought them last night?" he asked. He didn't recall seeing any flowers when he was putting the wine in the refrigerator.

"Yeah!" Sean called from his room.

"And you left them in your room?" Craig asked quietly. His bad feeling was only getting worse. He looked up when he heard a quiet Sean walking back into the living room.

Sean stood in the middle of the living room with a dozen, half-wilted roses in his hand.

Craig stood up. "You didn't put them in the refrigerator?"

Sean shrugged. "Hey! I'm not a 'flower-giving' guy, remember? How was I supposed to know you were supposed to refrigerate flowers!"

Craig quickly tried to think of something positive to say when he saw a look of panic form on Sean's face. "Don't worry about it! It's a mistake ANYONE would make! In fact, stuff like this happens all the time." He forced a reassuring smile. "They're only flowers, right? You've got the rest of the night ahead of you."

Sean nodded and forced himself to smile. "Right..." he muttered. He only hoped the rest of evening would go by smoothly.

Devon pulled up in Mrs. Hoffman's car and parked next to one of the lamp posts lined along a park. She pulled out a street map she bought from a local gas station and looked at the nearest street sign that was 15 feet away. According to the map, her father's house was one of the houses across the street from the park. She pulled out her father's address, then looked up to read the house numbers. Her eyes drifted on the mailbox labeled "45." She quickly tried to catch her breath. "That's it," she muttered to herself. "That's the house."

At that moment, she saw a man walking towards the mailbox. As a quick reaction, Devon held her breath and slouched in her seat so she wouldn't be seen. Her eyes peered over her car door window. The man was a well-dressed, middle aged man with dark hair. She watched as he opened the mailbox to pull out his mail. She continued to watch as he walked back up the driveway. Devon stopped holding her breath, sat back up, and looked around. She was hoping that she wasn't looking too suspicious. By the time she sat back up, the man had closed the front door behind him. It was obvious that she wasn't seen.

She started to breath heavily as she tightly gripped the steering wheel in front of her. She couldn't believe it. She just saw her father.


	23. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Sean took a look at his reflection in Emma's front door window and gently brushed his hair from his forehead before knocking. He quickly stood up straight when the door opened. He had to catch his breath when he saw how amazing Emma looked.

Emma gave a shy smile. "Hey!"

"Hey," Sean replied back returning her smile. "You look beautiful." He took a step back. "Are you ready to go?"

Emma nodded as she stepped out of her house. She turned to close the door behind her.

When Emma turned back around, Sean held out his hand to reveal a single rose. It was the only rose that was the LEAST wilted of the dozen he originally bought. "Uh...this is for you."

Emma was beaming as she accepted it. "Thank you," she answered back as she leaned over to smell it.

"Actually, I bought you more, but..." Sean quickly stopped himself.

Emma looked confused.

"Never mind," Sean replied. He wanted to smack himself in the back of the head for what he let slip out. 'She didn't have to KNOW she had more flowers, you idiot,' he thought to himself.

Emma looked over at Sean as they walked. "You look great in that tie."

Sean smoothed out his tie proudly. "Thanks."

Emma suddenly realized that she had no idea where they were going to eat. With Sean wearing a TIE, she was wondering if her outfit wasn't dressy enough. "Where are we going anyway?"

"Le gout du Francais," Sean answered back in a terrible French accent. Craig forced him to practice saying the name of the restaurant over and over again before picking up Emma.

Emma started to panic. Her skirt was WAY too short for that type of restaurant. She wanted to say something, but she didn't want to disappoint Sean. She didn't want to turn around and go back home to change her outfit. She already DID that...on their FIRST date. The last thing she wanted to do was REPEAT the events that lead to one of the most embarrassing nights of her life.

They walked through the doors of the restaurant and walked over to the maitre'd. "Um...a reservation under 'Cameron'?" Sean asked nervously.

The maitre'D glanced snobbishly at Sean, then did a disappointed once-over at Emma. Emma started to get flustered. She knew he was not pleased with her skirt.

He slipped on his glasses and skimmed through his list. He looked up at Sean. "Your reservation, monsieur, was for 7:00." He pointed at the clock on the wall. "It is now 8:00 and all of our tables are full."

Sean's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. "Um...that can't be POSSIBLE!" he exclaimed. Some of the customers looked up from their food, because his voice carried past the lobby. Even Emma jumped a little from his outburst. A small part of him wanted to grab that man behind the stand and shake him to convince him that his reservation was at 8:00. But after thinking about it...he couldn't be POSITIVE that the reservation was at 7:00 or 8:00. The time just slipped his mind. He lowered his voice. "Are there ANY tables available?"

The maitre'D stared at Sean's pleading eyes. The young man in front of him almost caused a scene in HIS restaurant. He couldn't allow another outburst to happen again. He sighed as he slipped off his glasses. "I'll try my best to get you a table, monsieur." He extended an arm towards a few chairs. "Please sit."

Sean and Emma gave a sigh of relief as they sat down. 'I hope they get us a table soon...' Sean thought to himself. 'I'm already hungry...'

xxx

Devon looked at her watch. She has been sitting in her car for nearly two hours now. She just couldn't allow herself to get out of her car. In fact...she couldn't get herself to stop gripping her steering wheel. Her palms were beginning to sweat, yet they were completely glued to the wheel.

Her head quickly turned towards the house when she saw the front door open. A middle-aged woman and a young boy (seven or eight) walked out of the house and towards one of the two cars on the driveway. The man she saw a few hours earlier just stood at the front door and watched his family walk away. The woman opened the back car door to allow her child to jump into the back seat. She lightly slammed the door shut, then turned to open the door to the driver's seat. Before stepping in the car, she stopped and smiled at the man who was admiring her from the porch.

When Devon realized the woman was going to speak, she peeled her left hand off the steering wheel and cracked open her window to listen.

"Are you sure you don't want to go to my brother's for dinner?" she called out.

The man shook his head. "I've got to finish some paperwork!" he replied with a smile. He waved at the boy in the back seat. "Have fun, kiddo!" The man watched his family pull out of the driveway, then closed the front door when the car disappeared at the end of the street.

Devon watched the whole "picture-perfect family scene" happening in front of her as if it was in slow motion. They looked like a family from one of those sitcoms on television from the 50's: the beautiful wife, the adoring husband...the happy child. It all looked so perfect, that it was hard to believe that she witnessed something so real. It was almost surreal seeing her father with his wife and child. It hurt that the wife and child were neither her mother nor herself.

She started to hyperventilate again. This was it. It appeared that the man would be home by himself for at least an hour. Now was her chance. It was now or never.

She opened her car door and set her feet on the pavement. Her knees were wobbly and her hands were shaking. She slowly walked across the street and bravely made it up the driveway. As she walked up the steps to the front porch, she thought about how many times she had imagined this moment in her head the past few hours. By the time she made it to the front door she froze. She suddenly realized that not only has she been imagining this moment in her head for the past few hours...she has been waiting for this opportunity her ENTIRE life. She was about to experience something that will change her life forever.

She lifted up one of her clammy hands and knocked lightly on the door.


	24. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"Monsieur?"

Sean looked up. His vision was blurry. He was so hungry. "Yes?"

The maitre'D forced a fake smile. "Your table is ready."

Sean looked at the clock on the wall as he and Emma followed the maitre'D to their table. They just waited an hour to be seated. He looked over at Emma who also appeared to be very tired and hungry. "I'm so sorry about this," he apologized.

Emma gave a reassuring smile. "Don't apologize for taking me to this extraordinary restaurant, Sean."

They both stopped dead in their tracks when the maitre'D showed them to their table. Sean looked at the tiny table barely large enough for two people, then looked at the door behind the table. They were placed in the back of the restaurant...next to the kitchen. Sean sighed quietly as he pulled out a chair for Emma.

The maitre'D handed them their menus. "Your waiter will be here shortly."

Sean closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening the menu.

Emma quickly glanced up and noticed what Sean was doing. She knew he was nervous about the price of the food. She smiled quietly to herself. It was sweet that Sean was taking her to this place, but she wasn't about to suck his wallet dry over one meal. "You know...I'm actually not that hungry," Emma replied as her stomach rumbled under the table. "I hope you don't mind if I just order an appetizer as my entrée and a salad..."

Sean tried his hardest not to show the look of relief on his face. He casually shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not that hungry either," he lied. "Maybe we can share an appetizer..." His stomach growled aggressively. "...or two."

"Bonsoir, monsieur et madame," the waiter replied when he arrived at the table. "Do you already know what you would like?"

The two glanced back at their menus and were puzzled. The entire menu was in French. Emma looked at Sean. "Uh..."

Sean looked anxiously at the waiter. "Um...we are interested in having a few appetizers this evening," he replied. "Do you have any recommendations for us?" Before the waiter could answer his question, he quickly interrupted to add one more thing. "Just as long as it's not a cow tongue or fish eggs."

Emma giggled behind her menu. The little things Sean says sometimes...were just too cute.

The waiter looked amused to hear Sean's request. He looked down at the menu and pointed at two items. "The Cuisses de Grenouille is a favorite here. And the Escargot de Bourgongne is one of the chef's specialty."

Emma and Sean glanced at each other across the table. Sean shrugged and closed his menu. "Sounds good! I guess we'll have those and two side salads please."

"And to drink?" the waiter asked.

"Water, please," Emma answered.

"Water for me, too," Sean chimed in. He quickly remembered Craig's $20 water comment. "TAP water, please."

Twenty minutes later, their food was brought out in covered silver platters. As the waiter lifted the covers off their plates, Emma gasped delightfully. "The food looks absolutely wonderful!" Their stomachs growled hungrily over the pleasant smell.

Sean stabbed a piece from the escargot dish and popped it in his mouth. Emma delicately slid a small piece from the cuisses de grenouille dish onto their tongue. They both chewed awkwardly at first.

"This is really good, Emma" Sean commented with his mouth full. "Chewy...but tastey." He pointed at the plate in front of her with his fork. "How's that?"

Emma finished chewing and swallowed. "It's very delicious," she answered back

The waiter came back. "Is everything to your liking?"

They both nodded. "These were great choices," Sean commented as he popped another item of the dish into his mouth.

"What exactly DID we order?" Emma asked curiously. "...in english."

The waiter pointed at the dish in front of Sean. "Monsieur just sampled the escargot." He looked at Sean. "Snails."

Sean stopped chewing and left his mouth hanging open to allow the food to fall on his lap. "SNAILS?" He picked up his water in front of him.

The waiter pointed at the plate in front of Emma. "And Madame sampled the cuisses de grenouille."

Emma gulped nervously. "Which is what?" She was almost afraid to ask.

"Frog legs."

Her eyes widened as she pushed the plate away. She protested at school earlier that year against dissecting frogs in science class. She believed it was a brutal act against innocent animals. She couldn't believe she just ATE one...and LIKED it. She covered her mouth with her hand. She felt like vomiting.

The waiter looked at Sean and Emma with a puzzled face. "Did you not like them?" he asked. He was about to turn around to hand them the menu again. "Would you like something else instead?"

They both held their hands up. "NO!" They had suddenly lost their appetites.

Sean looked at Emma across the table. She was so disgusted with the food. He couldn't believe his night was getting worse. He looked at the waiter. "Can we just have the check please?"

The waiter nodded and walked off.

Sean pushed his plate away. "I'm sorry...AGAIN," he told Emma. "Why don't we leave here...and grab some food at The Dot?"

Emma smiled back. "That sounds good to me."

'Thank God,' Sean thought to himself. This evening was so disastrous so far. At least he had enough time—and money—to redeem himself. He stood up. "I need to go to the restroom really quick." He wanted to rinse out his mouth THOROUGHLY, and he didn't want Emma to see.

He stood up just as the kitchen door was swinging open behind him. He bumped into the swinging door and the door swung back and hit the waiter on the other side of it. The waiter was carrying four platters of freshly cooked food in his arms. Sean couldn't believe what happened next. The waiter fell back into the kitchen, while the food flew forward. Emma and Sean watched in horror as the food flew in the air...and landed all over the customers at the next table.

Emma covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh...my...god..." she mumbled.

Sean looked at the waiter on the floor and the food-covered customers at the table next to him. Before he knew it, the maitre'D was standing right in front of him, glaring at him.

Sean sighed as he looked up at the ceiling. It was as if some higher power was punishing him for no reason. As if his night couldn't get any worse...he had a feeling that this was only the beginning.

xxx

"Yes?" the man asked at the front door.

Devon just stood there with her mouth hanging open.

The man stared at the teenage girl standing in front of him. He found it very odd that she was just standing there. "Can I help you?"

"Mr....Mr. Steinbacker?" Devon stuttered quietly. She cleared her throat. "Francis Andrew Steinbacker, Jr.?" she asked more confidently.

The man leaned against the front door and smiled. "'Drew' will be fine," he answered back warmly.

Devon couldn't help but smile. Her father was very handsome, and he seemed so friendly.

Drew took another good look at her again. He assumed that he was supposed to know this girl, because she still hadn't introduced herself to him yet. It was obvious that she knew who he was. Oddly enough...she even looked a little familiar to him. "Did my wife tell you the wrong date? Her business dinner party is NEXT Saturday. We won't need you to baby-sit for Frankie until next weekend."

Devon was confused at first, but laughed nervously and shook her head. "Um...I'm not the babysitter."

Drew lightly jolted his head back. "I'm sorry...I just assumed..." he took another look at her again. He gave up. He figured that it would be rude to keep on guessing. "Then, who are you?" He looked down at the girl's hands to see if she was holding brochures and order forms. "...Are you selling something?"

Devon gulped. Her hands started to sweat again and her heart was pounding so wildly, she almost couldn't hear herself think. She assumed that was a good thing. There were a million things running through her head at that moment. HEARING those thoughts would only make her more nervous.

"Ma'am? Are you okay? Are you lost? Has your car broken down?" Drew was trying his hardest to pry information out of this stranger.

Devon had to snap out of her nervous trance. She decided to just go out at tell him who she was. "My name is Devon. Devon...Simmons."

Drew stood there silently and took another good look at Devon. Devon noticed a slight hint of recognition show in his eyes, then saw his face expression change. His warm demeanor suddenly turned rigid.

Devon wasn't sure if he got the idea of who she was, so she tried to elaborate. "My mom is Madison Sim—"

"I know who she is," Drew interrupted coldly. He peeked outside and looked around to see if anyone was with Devon. "Look...is this some kind of sick joke or something? Did someone tell you to come here and say that to me?"

Devon shook her head. She was confused. Why would he even think that? "No. I'm Devon, Madison's daughter." She took a small step closer. "I'm YOUR daughter."

Drew hysterically shook his head. "No!" He opened the door a little wider to take a step towards Devon, so he can talk to her in a lower voice that neighbors wouldn't be able to hear. "Look, I told Madison this YEARS ago when she showed up on my doorstep. I am NOT the father." He looked at Devon square in the eyes. "I'm not your father, okay?"

Devon's eyes started to water. "But your name is on the birth certificate..." she whispered.

Drew smirked. "I was probably the first name that popped in her mind at the time. Look...I don't mean to insult your mom in front of your face, but I think you need to understand what kind of person she was. She partied a lot back then. She slept around." He shrugged. "And what can I say? I was a young guy. I'll admit that I partied a lot when I was in college. She was some girl I barely knew." He shook his head again. "The father of her baby could have been ANYBODY back then. But I PROMISE you...it's not me."

Devon was speechless. This wasn't exactly how she imagined her reunion with her father.

Drew stared at Devon. After all he said to her, she was still not leaving. He started to get desperate. He reached in his back pocket and pulled out his checkbook. "How much do you want?"

Devon didn't understand. "How much...for what?"

Drew clicked his ballpoint pen. "How much is it going to take for you to stay away?" He had a respectable career. He had an amazing wife and son. His life was perfect, and he wasn't about to let some stranger on his doorstep--claiming to be his daughter he had with a woman from his past--destroy everything he had.

Devon felt disgusted. "You think this is about MONEY?" she asked in disbelief.

Drew didn't know what this girl was expecting from him. "Why else would you be here?"

Devon pushed away his checkbook. "I don't want your money." A tear rolled down her cheek. "I just want to know my father. I just need him to be in my life."

Drew glared at her. "I TOLD you. I'm NOT your father. Sorry."

Devon stared into his eyes carefully. His eyes showed how scared he was. They showed how desperate he was. And they showed how guilty he was. They were even the same, unique, blue-gray color like HER eyes. Drew's eyes gave away the truth in more ways than he could ever realize. "If I'm NOT your daughter...then why are you so determined to PAY me to go away?" she asked. "Why should you even feel obligated to give me money?"

Drew refused to answer that question. He started to close the door.

Devon quickly stuck her foot in the edge of the doorway to stop him. She pressed her hand against the door. "Please!" she pleaded. "Don't turn me away!" Every other person in her life have already turned their backs on her. Her father was her only hope. He was all she had left.

Drew glared at Devon through the door crack. It was the only space that was left between him and his illegitimate child. "The only truth you need to know is this: everything associated with your mother was a mistake. My one night with her was a mistake. KNOWING her was a mistake. And accidentally having a child with her? Well..." He smirked. "that was the BIGGEST mistake of all."

Devon removed her foot from the doorway and slid her hand off the front door. Those hurtful words knocked the wind out of her. Those words shattered every ounce of dignity and hope she had left. Another tear rolled down her cheek as she took a step back.

"There is no room for you in my life," Drew replied coldly. "I don't HAVE a daughter. I don't WANT a daughter." He paused to take one last look at her. "As far as I'm concerned, you don't even exist. And that's the way it SHOULD be." With that last comment, he closed the door in her face.

Devon quietly stared at the closed door for a few moments, then turned around and looked at the quiet street behind her. She stood there alone in the silence and in the dark.


	25. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Emma and Sean tiredly stepped out of the French restaurant. Sean looked at his watch and sighed sadly. It was almost midnight. Not only did Sean have to pay for their uneaten dinner, he also had to pay for the meals that were accidentally dumped on the customers. With all of the money Sean had in his wallet, including the money Craig loaned him and even some of Emma's money, it was still not enough to pay for the overpriced bill. As a result, Sean had to wash dishes for the past hour to make up for the difference he couldn't pay. As if he wasn't embarrassed enough, Emma had offered to help him.

Emma tightly wrapped her sweater around her. "It's getting pretty late..." she implied as they walked along the sidewalk.

The entire night was ruined, and Sean was disappointed that his date was ready to go home. It was already too late to grab something to eat at The Dot. "I know you're probably tired...but do you mind if we take the long way back to your house?" he asked hopefully. He was hoping a quiet, romantic stroll would improve what was left of their evening.

Emma smiled warmly and nodded. "Sure. That's would be nice."

As they made it towards the park, they heard rumbling above their heads. Sean closed his eyes. 'Oh no...' he thought to himself. 'Please...not tonight!' Unfortunately, the last ounce of his hope disappeared when he felt light rain drops fall on his shoulders.

Emma looked up at the cloudy night sky, then stopped suddenly. "Oh, no!" she exclaimed.

Sean stopped along side her. "What?"

Emma disappointedly looked back at Sean. "Manny's umbrella!" She sighed. "I left it at the restaurant."

They both looked behind them. They were already a few blocks away from the restaurant and practically halfway to Emma's house. It started to rain even harder now, and they started to quicken their pace.

Sean sighed as he felt his clothes soaking into his skin. It was official: this was, without a doubt, the date from hell.

xxx

Devon turned up the speed to her windshield wipers when the rain started to pour even harder. She ran the back of her hands across her eyes to quickly wipe away her never-ending tears. She hasn't stopped crying the entire drive back to Toronto ever since she left her dad's house. Events of the evening continued flashing through her mind as she continued down the road.

Pretty soon, the yellow lines in the road were barely a blur through her windshield. She decided to pull the car over to the side of the road. She parked the car and flipped the key to turn off the engine. She pressed her hands over her face and cried uncontrollably as she listened to the thunder rolling above the car. She didn't know if she would be able to compose herself enough to make it back to Mrs. Hoffman's house.

She gripped her hands over the steering wheel and took a deep breath. "Pull yourself together, Devon," she whispered angrily to herself.

xxx

Emma and Sean were practically running through the park to fight the rain. Sean felt that he weighed at least 20 pounds heavier from the water soaking through his clothes as he trudged behind Emma. He looked down and noticed that Emma was quickening her pace because her legs were now caked in mud.

Suddenly, Sean stopped running. He leaned over to rest his hands over his knees to catch his breath. Emma stopped running and turned around when she realized that Sean was far behind her.

Sean looked up at Emma, then out of nowhere, started laughing. He reached his breaking point, and now, had completely lost his mind.

Emma squinted her eyes to look through the heavy sheets of rain and curiously walked back towards Sean. Was he...laughing? "What's wrong?" she called out.

Sean took his hands off his knees and stood up straighter. He continued laughing. "This is the worse date...EVER!" he called back to her in between his laughter.

Emma definitely agreed with Sean's statement, but was still confused as to why her date was laughing. It was so silly, that it was almost contagious. She started to laugh along with him. "What's so funny?"

Sean walked up to her. "Everything that could go wrong tonight went wrong." He held his hands up hopelessly. "And when you think the night can't get ANY worse...it DOES!!" He plopped his hands back down along his sides and laughed lightly. "I've decided that this evening completely sucked. I think that no matter what we do to make this night better...something will STILL happen to make things worse."

Emma nodded in agreement. She finally realized why Sean was laughing. In a bizarre night like tonight...the only thing LEFT for you to do was to either laugh or cry.

Sean playfully kicked a puddle next to him and splashed Emma from the waist down.

Emma shrieked as she felt the water drip down her legs. "You are SO going to get it!" she yelled back at him with a giggle.

Sean started to run throughout the park jumping from puddle to puddle with Emma right at his heels.

Emma suddenly felt the heel of her shoe slip over a slick pile of mud. Her legs slipped from under her, and she ended up falling flat on her bottom.

Sean slid to a halt and turned around. He walked back over to Emma and held out his hands to pull her back up to her feet.

Emma looked down. She was practically covered from head to toe with mud. She looked hopelessly at Sean. "I'm a mess!"

Sean wiped a blotch of mud from her chin and admired her in the rain. Her hair was matted, her make-up was running down her face, and her arms and legs were smeared with mud. He shook his head. "No," he whispered gently in her ear. "You're beautiful." He gazed deeply in her eyes as he used the tips of his fingers to comb the blonde locks from her face and brush them behind her shoulders.

Emma caught his eyes and had to catch her breath. She was completely mesmerized by the way he looked at her at that moment.

Sean slowly leaned in closer, lightly pressed his forehead against hers, and closed his eyes as he felt the warmth of her body against his. He cupped her cheeks in his hands. He smiled sweetly when he opened his eyes. He studied the features of Emma's face as if he was memorizing every delicate curve.

Emma lifted up her hands to rest them over his wrists. As Sean pulled her face closer to his, she slightly parted her lips to greet his gentle kiss.

They stood in the middle of the park out in the pouring rain, but didn't even notice. They were lost in the intensity of their kiss and the only sound they could hear was from the beating of their hearts.

xxx

Devon slammed the car door shut and quickly ran up the steps to Mrs. Hoffman's porch. She quietly unlocked the front door and stepped inside. She looked up the flight of stairs to see if Mrs. Hoffman's bedroom light was on. She was relieved to see it off and knew that Mrs. Hoffman was sound asleep.

She tip-toed into the living room and looked out the window to watch the rain pouring down outside. She leaned against the wall behind her and rested her head against the side of the window frame. The gaze in her eyes slowly became distant as recalled the roughest few hours of her life. Her father's voice couldn't escape from her head_: "I'm NOT your father okay?"_ A tear slowly rolled down her cheek as she felt the heaviness in her heart eat away at her.

She covered her ears to drown out the harsh voice in her head, but even the drops of rain pounding against the window couldn't dampen the sound: _"How much is it going to take for you to stay away?...Why else would you be here?" _

More tears started streaming down her face and her heavy heart began to beat so intensely to the point where she had trouble breathing. She slowly slid her back down the wall and sat on the floor.

_"And accidentally having a child with her?...Well, that was the BIGGEST mistake of all."_

She jumped suddenly when a bolt of lightning flashed outside and lit up the entire living room. She got up to run into the kitchen. She started to breathe faster.

_"I don't HAVE a daughter..."_

She desperately looked around the kitchen and rummaged violently through the drawers.

_"I don't WANT a daughter..."_

She didn't realize what exactly she was looking for until it was in her hands. She stared at the shiny object.

_"As far as I'm concerned, you don't even exist...and that's the way it SHOULD be."_ Those were some of the final words her father said to her before closing his doors and completely shutting her out. They continued to circulate in her head. 

She slowly sank down towards the floor and kneeled on her knees. A reflection of her eyes flashed on the blade of the kitchen knife she was gripping so tightly.

"..._you don't even exist..."_

Devon could barely see. Her eyes were so full of tears.

"..._you don't even exist..."_

She looked at the kitchen knife in one hand, then lifted up her free hand in front of her. She stared at her shaking wrist. She took one more deep breath.

"..._that's the way it SHOULD be..."_


	26. Chapter 25

_I know that there is a lot of "Devon" in this chapter, but I promise you...it will explain __A LOT. So, bare with me... The rest of her secret is coming out in THIS chapter._

Chapter 25

Sean smiled to himself as he dug his hands in his pockets and walked leisurely in the rain towards his apartment. He and Emma called it a night and he had just walked her home. It was STILL raining and he was STILL soaked, but he didn't care. Their date from hell couldn't have ended any better than it did.

He turned the corner and walked across the mini parking lot towards his place. He looked up and stopped suddenly. He squinted his eyes through the heavy rain and saw a figure huddled against his doorstep. As he walked closer, he quickened his pace when he realized who the figure was. Devon was sitting on his doorstep with her head buried in her knees. He ran up the steps. He squatted next to her. "Devon?"

Devon tiredly looked up. She looked so relieved to see him.

Sean panicked. The first thing that ran through his mind was that Devon was hurt. He leaned closer and cradled her face in his hands. He examined her face. "Are you hurt?" No bloody lip. No black eye. He sighed with relief. He started to get even more frightened when Devon continued to sit there quietly. He looked at the expression on her face. She was obviously devastated about something, and he realized that she was so silent because she was still in shock. "Devon—what's wrong?" he asked desperately, but she still didn't answer. Her only response was with tears. His concern only got worse. What ever was going on...it was bad. He had never seen her in this condition before. "Come on," he replied as he slipped one arm under her knees and the other around her shoulders. "Let's get you inside." He lifted her limp body off the ground and carried her inside.

A few minutes later, Sean was knocking lightly on the bathroom door. Devon poked her head out with her hair wrapped in a towel. He held out a dry T-shirt. "Here." He handed her the shirt. "It's not the most stylish thing you've ever worn, but at least it's something dry." He smirked and tugged the dry T-shirt he had on. "These are the only two clean shirts I've got left." His eyes saddened when Devon didn't respond with her usual smart remarks. She just accepted the shirt quietly with an expressionless face.

Sean turned around as Devon closed the door behind her. He walked into the kitchen and opened the cupboard to pull out two coffee mugs.

He turned around when he heard Devon come out of the bathroom. His T-shirt was obviously too big for her. It went practically down to her knees. She had also removed the towel off her head and strands of her drenched hair sloppily framed her face. He watched her timidly walk past him and into the living room.

He poured milk into the mugs and placed them into the microwave. Devon sat down on one end of the couch and tucked her legs underneath her. They both remained silent as they awkwardly listened to the humming of the microwave.

Sean leaned against the counter and continued to watch Devon as she hopelessly stared into space, obviously lost in her thoughts. His concern for her started to creep back. She hadn't said one word since he found her. He jumped slightly when he heard the "ding" from the microwave. He was almost relieved the milk was done heating up. The silence was killing him. He was desperate to do SOMETHING, even if it meant doing something simple like making hot chocolate. He squeezed some chocolate syrup in both mugs and dunked spoons into the steaming milk.

Sean dragged his feet into the living room, handed one of the cups to Devon, and sat on the opposite side of the couch. He looked down to stir his milk. He was hoping the clinking of his spoon and the pouring rain outside would drown out the awkward silence between them.

Devon took a sideward glance towards Sean. He was just sitting there so calmly. He LOOKED like he wasn't curious as to why she was there, but she knew better. She closed her eyes. She was so embarrassed to be here. "I'm sorry," she quickly mumbled.

Sean stopped stirring and looked over at Devon. He was surprised to hear her voice come out from no where.

"I'm sorry," she repeated a little louder. "I..." She looked up at him. "I didn't have any other place to go."

Sean shook his head and continued to tend to his drink. "Don't worry about it," he answered back as if it was no big deal.

"Well...thanks." Devon shamefully looked down at her drink. "You didn't have to do this for me. I mean...since we're not friends and all—"

"You and I both know that isn't true," Sean interrupted in a serious tone. Craig was right. It was easy being angry at Devon when he thought she was safe. Now, after finding her on his doorstep, he realized that he would never stop worrying about her. The stupid argument they had a few days ago was just that. Stupid.

Devon nodded to acknowledge Sean's statement, but didn't say anything else. She started to stir her drink.

Sean looked back down at the mug in his hands. He assumed the returning silence was a sign to end their brief conversation. He wanted desperately to ask what happened tonight, but refrained himself from asking. They ended up in an argument the last time he pushed her to talk. All that mattered at that moment was that she was physically safe and away from where ever she was.

Devon took a sip of her hot chocolate. "I saw my father today," she replied casually.

Sean's nearly dropped his mug. That DEFINITELY came out of nowhere. He wasn't even sure he heard her right. "Your father?" he asked.

Devon looked over at him and said nothing, which meant there was nothing from her statement that needed to be corrected.

Sean was dumbfounded. "...I didn't know you even knew who he was." Devon has never mentioned her father to him. EVER. And they have known each other since practically birth.

"I DIDN'T know who he was. ...I just knew his name."

Sean placed his cup on the coffee table. "Did he find YOU?" he asked curiously.

"No," Devon answered back. "I found HIM." She sighed. "My social worker is sending me to that shelter in British Columbia in a few weeks." She slipped her cup between the armrest and her knee to tuck clumps of wet hair behind her ears. "He said that was the only place left for me to go...UNLESS I had a living relative who could take me." She folded her hands together and started to fidget with her fingers. "I read that article Emma wrote this past week about meeting her biological father. She wrote about how accepting they were of each other and how it was a life changing experience..." She looked up at Sean. "It just got me thinking..."

Sean sighed. He knew where this was going. Devon wanted to see her father—the man who has had NOTHING to do with her for 16 years—and see if he would take her in. He knew that situation had "bad idea" written all over it. "So...what happened?"

Devon rested an elbow on the armrest as she shook her head disappointedly.

Sean debated on taking his question back. He wasn't sure if he WANTED to know what happened.

Devon forced a smile. "He lives about 45 minutes outside of Toronto. He lives in a nice neighborhood." She paused. "He's got a beautiful wife...and a son." Her voice started to get shaky. "He's even more handsome that I imagined." She looked back down at her fingers. "I've imagined what he would look like in my head for so long..." her voice started to drift.

Sean looked over at Devon. He remained silent to allow his friend to take her time and continue.

Devon re-adjusted herself on the couch to get comfortable. "He was so nice, Sean," she replied with a smile. She remembered watching the front door open and seeing her father look at her with a welcoming smile. "His voice was so friendly and he was so polite and proper." She quickly frowned. "But that was before he knew who I was." She looked back up at Sean with tearful eyes. "He was so angry when he found out." She gulped and looked down at her hands again. "...He was so cold..."

Sean started to feel an ache in his chest.

Devon started to look into the distance. "He just stared at me—and you could just see it. He was hoping that I wasn't real and that I would disappear. He even tried to offer me money to get me to leave." She felt her stomach churn. She was still nauseated over that. She closed her eyes. She could still see the scowl on his face. She could still hear the coldness in his voice. "He said that I was his biggest mistake." She started to cry. "And that I shouldn't even exist."

At this point, Sean's eyes started to get tearful. His heart was breaking for her. He slid across the couch and allowed Devon to cry on his shoulder.

Devon pulled away from Sean and picked up her hot chocolate that was by her side. She wasn't in the mood to put anything in her stomach right now. She stood up. "You know...I'm really tired."

Sean nodded.

Devon walked into the kitchen to dump the rest of her drink in the sink. She wiped her hands on Sean's T-shirt and looked around. "I'll sleep on the couch if that's okay with you."

Sean stood up. "You should know better." He put his hands on his hips. "You are NOT sleeping on the couch tonight."

A few minutes later, Devon was sliding under the covers of Sean's bed. She watched Sean rummage around his room to grab an extra pillow and blanket for him to use on the couch. This scene was all too familiar to them: her showing up on his doorstep; them drinking hot chocolate together while they talked about her problems; her sleeping in his bed and leaving him on the couch. It was like a regular routine.

Before walking out the room, Sean pulled up a chair next to the bed as Devon rested her head on the pillow. "Comfortable?" he asked as he pulled the sheets over her shoulders.

Devon nodded. She was so grateful for Sean's hospitality. Her eyes started to water. She felt so foolish. Despite of the secrets she has kept from him, Sean was still willing to be there for her. She started to feel guilty. She didn't deserve that.

Sean noticed that Devon was close to tears. "Hey," he whispered gently. He brushed her hair from her forehead with the tips of his fingers and wiped a tiny tear from the corner of her eye with his thumb. "You're safe here..." He stood up and walked over to the lamp to turn it off.

Devon reached her arm out and grabbed Sean's sleeve. "Sean—wait."

Sean turned away from the lamp and sat back down. "What's wrong?"

Sean deserved to know the truth. "I have to tell you the reason why I came here tonight." She bit her lip. "The REAL reason."

Sean placed his pillow and blanket on the floor. "I don't understand..." He thought he KNEW why Devon was here. She was devastated because she saw her father...right?

They both jumped when they saw a flash of lightning through Sean's bedroom window. A loud clap of thunder roared over their heads.

Devon sat up and pushed her back against the headboard. She pulled her knees up to her chest.

Sean pulled his chair closer to the bed.

The storm started to pick back up in the background. Devon sighed. She brought her arm towards her and rubbed her wrist. It was only a few hours ago when she had a kitchen knife just inches away from it. "I couldn't do it," she muttered under her breath.

Sean was puzzled. "Couldn't do...what?"

Devon looked at him. Everything she wanted to tell him was swimming in her head. So much was going through her mind at that moment that everything she was saying started to sound scrambled. "I was so hurt and so angry..." She stared at her hand as if the knife was still in her palm. "I didn't realize what I was looking for in the kitchen...until it was right there in front of me..."

Sean was confused as ever. Looking for what? ...And who's kitchen? The questions in his head were as scrambled as Devon's loose sentences.

Devon's eyes drifted distantly. She listened to the rain pouring outside and imagined herself back in Mrs. Hoffman's kitchen. She was hearing her father's harsh words echoing around her. She was crying uncontrollably. She had the knife in her hand. Her wrist was right there. It was so simple on what she had to do. The cold blade was pressed up against her skin. Her heart was broken. Her body felt empty. Then...

"I dropped it." Devon snapped back into reality. She was now out of Mrs. Hoffman's kitchen and back in Sean's bedroom. She could still hear the clanking of the knife as it bounced on the kitchen floor. "I couldn't do it..."

Sean was watching Devon's actions as she drifted into her own little world. It looked like she was holding something in her hand ...And bringing it to her wrist. Her eyes were watering. Her entire body was shaking. He also went over the fragmented phrases Devon was muttering: 't do it...dropped it." Suddenly, everything seemed to come together to him. He covered his mouth and heard himself gasp. His best friend almost took her own life tonight. His vision suddenly became blurry and he realized that he was crying. "Devon..." he whispered.

Devon looked over at Sean. She had almost forgot he was in the room with her. She saw the tears gleaming over his cheeks, then brought a hand to her own face. She realized that she was crying as well. "I had to come here," she replied in a shaking voice. "I had no where else to go..."

Sean reached out to hold her hand. "I'm glad you came here." He looked at her square in the eyes. "Promise me you will ALWAYS come here if this happens again—" He stopped himself. Happens again? He never would have imagined Devon intentionally hurting herself. Now to think that it might happen again? It was almost too much for him to concept right now. He covered his stomach with his hand and looked down. He was physically feeling sick to his stomach.

Devon looked up towards the ceiling to keep more tears from coming. She looked back at Sean with her lips trembling. "I already did."

Sean looked up from his stomach. "What?"

Devon gulped. "I came here tonight, because it DID happen again."

Sean stared at her for a while before saying anything else. He quickly gasped for air. He realized that for the past few seconds, he had actually stopped breathing. "What are you talking about?"

Devon pulled the covers closer to her chest. "You wanted to know how I ended up under DSS custody, right?"

Sean nodded.

Devon took a deep breath. It was time for some explaining, and she needed to start from the beginning. "Those months on my own were the hardest I have ever had to live through. Physically...and mentally. I was working 80 hours a week with my two jobs." She could almost feel every joint in her body aching at that moment as it did months ago. "I physically ran my body into the ground with work, and I wanted it to be that way." She paused to correct herself. "I NEEDED it to be that way. I needed to stay busy, because when you allow yourself to stop and sit...you have no choice but to think...and to feel. And at that point of my life, that was the last thing I needed to do. I even took sleeping pills at night to help me go to sleep right away. I didn't even want to give myself a split second to be lying awake in my bed, because of the possibility of me thinking." Devon rolled her eyes. Saying all this stuff out loud made her sound so unreasonable.

Sean listened to what Devon was saying. The mentality she had was so sad to him. He had no idea that she was so depressed to the point where she didn't even want to allow herself to think about ANYTHING, whether it was something negative or even positive.

Devon sighed. She rested her cheek across her knees in front of her. "But, one night...it happened. I had a night off, because the bar was overstaffed during my shift. They cut me that night, and I had no where to go but back to my motel room. So, I came home with a few bags of food..." She paused shamefully. "...and beer. I was hoping the alcohol would knock me out right away." She looked over at Sean and forced a light laugh. "You and I both know that I'm NOT a drinker."

Sean frowned. He was certainly not amused.

"I guess in my drunken state, I started to think. I started to think about how pathetic my life was. How meaningless my life was." Her voice started to sadden. "How...lonely my life was." She lifted up her head from her knees. "From there, I started to get angry. I was angry that I was wasting my time consuming myself with these pointless thoughts, and even more angry that I couldn't get to sleep. I remember looking at my bottle of sleeping pills." She looked down to avoid Sean's eyes. "And that was the last thing I remembered."

Sean leaned back in his chair and ran his hands through his hair. He exhaled slowly as he soaked in everything Devon told him. Tonight was the SECOND time she tried to commit suicide. He rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"The maid found me the next morning passed out on my bed," Devon continued. "She saw the empty beer bottles and the empty bottle of sleeping pills, then called the ambulance." She shook her head. "It turned out that I vomited up the pills while I was passed out. I was so sick from the alcohol, that when I swallowed the pills, I threw them back up." She laughed haughtily. She still couldn't believe that had happened. Her stupidity of getting plastered with alcohol...actually saved her life. "One of the nurses in the Emergency Room of the hospital recognized me. She used to be my neighbor when I lived with my mom in the apartment. She informed the police that I was under-age. When the police couldn't locate my mom, they realized that I was living on my own. That's when the Department of Social Services got involved." She shrugged. "And here I am."

Sean shook his head with disbelief. He looked over at Devon who was still avoiding his eyes.

Devon could feel Sean's eyes staring at her. His stare was burning her conscience. She was so ashamed of herself. She couldn't even imagine what horrible things Sean was thinking of her right now. She was almost afraid to even look him in the eyes. She would probably see a look of disappointment. Or even a look of pity. Maybe he's looking at her as if she was a freak. She slowly took a deep breath as she found the strength to lift her eyes and look back at him. She looked in his eyes carefully. There wasn't a look of disappointment. There wasn't a look of pity. "What are thinking right now?" she asked, although that wasn't what she meant. She was really asking: 'So...what do you think of me now?'

The look in Sean's eyes was far from a look of disappointment or a look of pity. He definitely wasn't looking at her as if she was a freak. His eyes had a pure look of sincerity and concern. He took a good look at Devon. Her tiny body was huddled up in a tight ball on his bed, completely closed off to the rest of the world. What has happened to his best friend? HOW can this happen to her? "Why?" was all he could respond with.

Devon looked at him curiously.

Sean cleared his throat. "Why were you angry?...Why were you lonely?" he asked. He stopped himself. That's not what he wanted to know. He thought before asking his next question. "Why did you give up on yourself?"

Devon listened to Sean's last question. Of the endless questions her social worker and psychiatrist had for her, that was the one question they had yet to ask. Ironically enough, that was the only question she actually knew the answer to. Why did I give up on myself? "I realized that my life consists of me being...invisible." She felt her eyes begin to glisten and she quickly looked down so Sean wouldn't see. "You see, you're meant to be invisible when you realize that your life is pointless to the rest of the world. People pretend you're not around, because they either don't care to have you near them or because they wished you didn't exist." She shrugged. "Maybe the world might even be better off without you. So...why even bother?"

Sean shook his head. "That's not true," he whispered.

Devon defensively looked back at Sean. He really didn't understand. "Really? Did you know that as long as you keep customers' coffee full at the diner, they won't even look up at you? No 'thank you's.' Not even the decency to hand me the money. They just leave the money on the counter." She cleared her throat. "Did you know that during the last year I lived with my mom, she never spoke to me unless I said something to her? If I never started any conversations...we would have never spoken to each other for an entire year! And as sad as it might be...I honestly think she wouldn't have cared to speak her daughter. In fact, she would have probably been happier."

Sean just shook his head again.

Devon smirked. He believed the things she was saying, but it didn't seem like he was fully convinced. She sat up straighter. There were so many examples. She wanted to make sure she covered all of them. "Did you know that before I was under DSS custody, nobody at school knew my name? I was known as 'the girl who was in detention all the time.' Even after I became under DSS custody and everyone found out about my situation, I became known as 'the girl with all the issues' or 'that pathetic loser'." She shrugged. "After all of that, they STILL didn't know my name." She looked down at her fingers and started to fidget with them again. "Also, did you know...that I only talked to my best friend the past few years, because I called him? Or because I visited him?"

Sean felt himself tense with guilt.

Devon continued as she looked at him in dead in the eyes. "If I decided NOT to call him...I wouldn't have the chance to speak to him, because he never took the initiative to call me first. If I didn't come visit him...we would probably never see each other." She slouched back against the headboard. "I could kill myself in a motel room one day, and he wouldn't even know." She nervously bit her lip. She suddenly admitted to herself that the last comment was inappropriate and out of line.

Sean was disgusted with her last comment. "Devon, don't talk like that." He didn't want to hear the possibility of her being dead. Actually...he was even more bothered that she was right. If she killed herself in Wasaga, he would never know. He never called her or visited her. He always depended on her to do that for him. "I'm sorry," he replied gently. That was all he could say.

Devon began to feel guilty herself. "I didn't say all of that to get an apology out of you. I said it because you deserve to know the truth." She frowned. "You deserve to know that I'm a basket case. A hopeless loser."

Sean reached out to hold her hand again. "You're not a basket case, and you're NOT a hopeless loser." He smiled lightly. "The only thing that you are...is brave."

A tear rolled down Devon's cheek as she squeezed Sean's hand.

Sean slid closer to her. "You were angry and upset tonight. You were lonely. But you didn't give up." His voice became stern. "You didn't give up," he repeated again, hoping that Devon would truly hear him if he said that twice. "You put down the knife and you came here instead." He sighed with relief as his eyes began to water. "You chose to live."

Devon let go of Sean's hand and lifted her hands up to her face as she cried. She couldn't believe it. She could have died tonight. But, instead, she was sitting in Sean's room, living and breathing. She was so scared, and that made her realize how badly she wanted to live.

Sean got out of his chair and sat on the edge of the bed. He wrapped his arms around Devon's tiny body and comforted her.

It was a good ten minutes before Devon would be able to calm down.

Sean wiped the final tears from Devon's eyes, then kissed her gently on the forehead. He brushed the matted hair from her face as she took one last deep breath to calm herself. Sean took a deep breath himself. This entire night had exhausted him. He got off the bed and sat back in his chair. He watched Devon slide under the covers to lay back down. There was still one thing lingering in the back of his mind. He knew that Devon did not intentionally want to hurt herself tonight; however, her emotions are so labile. She is going through a very delicate time now. What if she suffered through another breakdown? What if she tried to hurt herself again? He gulped. "What do you do from here?" he asked. "I mean...shouldn't you get some kind of help or something? You know...professional help?"

Devon sighed. "Ever since that incident in Wasaga, I have been required to see a psychiatrist for my 'suicidal ideation'." She rolled her eyes. That's when her psychiatrist, Dr. Weinstein, came into the picture. "I hate him, Sean," she replied. "All he does is give me these accusing looks. It just feels like he's judging me every second of our sessions together. I just don't feel comfortable around him. He doesn't know me, and he doesn't want to get to know me. He just wants to make sure he sees me every week so he can get his pay checks."

Sean frowned. "Devon, come on." He knew she was being unreasonable.

Devon rolled her eyes again. "I've been diagnosed with having major depression, adjustment disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, a history of alcohol and drug abuse--" she paused to laugh. "And my favorite—an oppositional defiant disorder."

Sean laughed lightly to himself. HE had been diagnosed with that himself. "Okay...I guess he could be pretty annoying."

Devon sighed hopelessly. "What sucks is that all of those diagnoses are what's keeping me from being emancipated. DSS thinks that I'm too 'emotionally unfit' to live on my own."

"Then, that alone should be a reason why you should take these sessions seriously." He forced a lop-sided smile. "You never know...if you give these sessions a chance, he can REALLY help you."

Devon shook her head. "I can't do that." She looked at Sean seriously. "We can't tell ANYONE what happened to me tonight."

"Why not?"

"Come on, Sean. I left the Toronto area...to see my father!" She rolled over on her back and stared at the ceiling. "First of all, I'm not supposed to leave the Toronto area without consent from DSS. Second of all, I only have visitation rights with relatives under the supervision of my social worker. And the fact that I attempted suicide a SECOND time?" She turned her head to look back at Sean. "My social worker will place me in a different shelter than the one in British Columbia. He'll place me in a PSYCHIATRIC shelter." She started to panic. "Everything that happened tonight stays between you and me. You can't tell ANYBODY. The more people that know, the more of a risk the information will leak out to my social worker." She looked at Sean desperately. "Promise me you won't tell anyone."

Sean began to contemplate on everything that was going on. On one hand, he wanted Devon to get the appropriate help for her mental health. On the other hand, he wanted Devon to stay out of a psychiatric shelter and be emancipated. He closed his eyes and sighed. It was no contest. He wanted to support what was best for Devon. What was best for her was what she wanted. He opened his eyes and saw Devon pleading at him. He reached over and lightly squeezed her hand. He nodded. "I promise."

Devon sighed with relief. "Thank you," she whispered gratefully. She rolled over to her side to get comfortable.

Sean nodded again. He stood over the bed to pull the covers up to Devon's chin, then turned around to turn off the lamp on the nightstand. Instead of leaving the room, he sat back down on his chair next to the bed. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. As exhausting as this night was for him, he was oddly wide awake.

Devon looked out Sean's bedroom window while lying in bed. Her eyes started to get heavy. She listened to the rain pouring outside. She didn't even remember falling asleep.


	27. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Sean could see the sunlight seep through his closed eyelids. He blinked a few times before finally opening his eyes. He sat up and looked around. He was still sitting in his chair next to his bed, but spent the entire night hunched over to rest his head on the edge of the bed. He reached his arms straight up in the air to stretch, then stopped when he felt a dull ache in his lower back. His awkward sleeping position had caused all of his muscles in his shoulders and back to get stiff. He sleepily glanced over towards Devon who was soundly asleep in his bed.

He stood up slowly and tip-toed out of his bedroom. He tiredly dragged his feet across the hallway to go into the bathroom. He leaned over to splash some cold water in his face, then reached over the sink to grab his wash cloth. He stared at his reflection as he patted his face dry. He sighed as the bags under his eyes stared back at him through the mirror. Last night was such a long night.

He looked down at the edge of the mirror and noticed the medicine cabinet was slightly open. He curiously swung the bathroom mirror open to reveal the contents of the cabinet, and his eyes quickly drifted to his medications. He was prescribed muscle relaxers and pain killers for his wrist after his motorcycle accident. He noticed that the medication bottles were positioned slightly different than the day before. Yesterday, the labels were positioned outwards. This morning, the labels were facing towards the back of the medicine cabinet. He closed his eyes for a moment. He had a terrible thought in his head. It was obvious that Devon must have gone through his medicine cabinet when she was changing into his T-shirt last night. He opened his eyes and reluctantly pulled out his medicine bottles. He opened each bottle and peeked inside. Both appeared to have the correct amount of pills they were SUPPOSED to have. He decided to give Devon the benefit of the doubt and assume she did not take any. He snapped the cap of his pain killers back on the bottle, but paused. After hearing about Devon's previous suicide attempts, he decided not to take any chances. He twisted the cap back off and turned towards the toilet. He dumped all of his medications out and quickly flushed the toilet. A twinge of guilt washed over him. It was as if he didn't trust his own best friend.

He walked out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. He poured himself a bowl of cereal and opened the refrigerator to grab his milk. He stopped when he saw the full bottle of wine staring back at him. He bit his lip. He quickly looked over his shoulder, as if he thought Devon was standing behind him. He looked back at the bottle of wine. He shamefully pulled it out of the refrigerator and popped the cork off. He quickly poured the entire bottle down the sink. He slammed the empty bottle back down on the counter next to him and rubbed his eyes.

"Don't worry," a voice stated behind him. "I wasn't going to steal that bottle of wine and get completely wasted."

Sean turned around and saw Devon standing behind him with her arms crossed.

"That's what you were thinking...right?" she asked.

Sean leaned against the counter. He felt his cheeks begin to flush. Devon caught him red-handed. "I'm sorry..." he mumbled. He was so embarrassed that he couldn't' find anything else to say.

Devon tilted her head to the side, then looked down towards the floor. "It's okay," she said with a shrug. "I understand that you think I'm crazy. After all, I almost killed myself...TWICE. If I were in your situation, I would probably be hiding all of my kitchen knives right now."

Sean shook his head. "I wouldn't go THAT far..." he replied back. However, in the back of his mind, he was letting out a sigh of relief. That idea actually DID run through his mind. He was just relieved that he didn't HAVE any kitchen knives lying around.

Devon looked up at Sean, then turned and noticed a pair of empty wine glasses sitting on top of the counter next to the currently empty wine bottle. She curiously raised her eyebrows. Sean?...with wine? "Were you expecting company last night?"

"Actually..." The thought of Emma was making him blush. "I had a date." He smiled shyly. "...With Emma."

Devon smiled back. "Really?" she asked impressed. She realized that she was too distracted last night to notice the empty wine glasses in the kitchen and the half-wilted roses in his bedroom until now. "How did that go?"

Sean exhaled loudly as he scratched the back of his head. "You want the short-version..." He looked at her with a tired grin. "Or the long-version?"

xxx

"Thanks for lending me your umbrella last night," Emma replied as she slid the umbrella across the table towards Manny. She had to go back to the restaurant that morning to find Manny's umbrella. She decided to have lunch at The Dot and called Manny to join her.

Manny excitedly looked across the table at Emma. "I want to hear EVERY detail that happened last night!" she gushed.

All Emma could do was smile. She was still beaming over last night's kiss.

Manny inched to the edge of her seat as she gripped her umbrella. "I take it went well?"

Emma dreamily sighed. "Let's just say...that it was a lot more than I expected."

Manny anxiously shuffled her feet under the table. "Come on, Em! I'm dying to hear what happened!"

Emma leaned forward. "Well, it started off nicely. He picked me up at my place." She smiled shyly. "And gave me a rose."

Manny squealed excitedly.

xxx

Devon hoisted herself on the countertop. "Flowers?" she asked disappointedly. "That's so...lame."

Sean nodded with agreement. "I know, I know." He rolled his eyes. Somehow, he knew Devon would say that. "I could only give her one of the roses." He nodded his head towards the direction of the bedroom. "That one rose looked like it was the LEAST damaged." He held his hands up. "How was I to know you were supposed to put them in the refrigerator the night before? Anyway..." he shrugged his shoulder. "I guess it wasn't ENTIRELY lame. She really liked it."

xxx

"Where did he take you?" Manny asked.

Emma rested one of her elbows on the table and rested her chin in the palm of her hand. "I knew he was taking me somewhere nice," she answered back. "He was wearing a tie."

Manny raised her eyebrows. "Really?" she asked impressed.

xxx

"What in GOD'S NAME possessed you to wear a tie?" Devon asked. She stopped to think for a moment. "Do you even know how to put one on?" She paused for a moment. "Do you even OWN one?"

Sean playfully scowled at her. "As a matter of fact I DO own a few..." Although, the ties were really Tracker's. "...and Craig tied it for me," he quickly added.

Devon forced herself to hold in her laughter and cleared her throat. "No, really," she replied. "Where did you take Emma...to where you had to wear a tie?"

xxx

"Le gout du Francais," Emma answered back. The name of the restaurant rolled lightly off her tongue.

"That new French restaurant?" Manny raised her eyebrows.

Emma nodded. She took her elbow off the table and leaned back in her chair. She sighed. "But, that was where the night started to go downhill."

Manny grinned curiously. "Why, what happened?"

Emma shook her head. "Sean got the reservation time mixed up. We arrived at the restaurant at 8:00...but the reservation was for 7:00." She saw Manny smirk. "It was a common mistake ANYONE would make," she replied in Sean's defense.

xxx

"You're such a retard!" Devon exclaimed through laughter.

Sean threw his hands up, then leaned back against the counter behind him. "So I screwed up!" He sighed as he crossed his arms in front of him. "We were lucky, though. The maitre'D decided not to cancel our reservation. He was able to find us a table...an HOUR later."

Devon laughed again.

"Dev, I was so hungry! I thought I was going to pass out before he found us a table. I was so relieved when he finally got us one." He grimaced. "But, OF COURSE, it was this microscopic table...in the back of the restaurant...right NEXT to the kitchen."

xxx

"The restaurant was absolutely beautiful, Manny," Emma replied excitedly. "The food was fancy and smelled great...."

Manny looked at Emma curiously. It was obvious that there was more to add. "But..."

Emma looked back at her hopelessly. "The entire menu was in French, so we didn't know what to order. The waiter was kind enough to order for us. He made sure to order us the restaurant's favorite and the chef's specialty."

"That sounds very sophisticated."

Emma wrinkled her nose. "Well...it SEEMED very fancy and sophisticated, until the waiter told us what he ordered."

xxx

Devon felt like she was going to throw up. "Snails...and frog legs? You call that a meal?" She felt her stomach flip-flop. "You WILLINGLY put that stuff in your mouth?"

Sean could still feel the snail squishing over his tongue. "We didn't know what they were at first. The waiter made it sound like we couldn't go wrong ordering that stuff." He frowned. "He obviously had no clue about what NORMAL people would enjoy eating." He rubbed his forehead with embarrassment. "You should have seen the look on Emma's face when she realized she ate a part of a frog!"

xxx

"What did Sean do when he found out he ate snails?" Manny asked. She was beginning to wonder what it was about the date Emma was glowing about. The whole ordeal sounded more like a nightmare.

Emma looked over at Manny. "He decided that it would be best if we ate dinner somewhere else. But first, he needed to go to the restroom." She sighed and closed her eyes. "He got up right when a waiter was leaving the kitchen with a tray full of food." She opened her eyes. "Sean's chair was right next to the kitchen door."

"Oh...no..." Manny groaned. She had an idea of what happened next.

xxx

"You did WHAT?" Devon exclaimed.

"I bumped into the waiter..." Sean repeated. "He fell, the food he was carrying flew in the air...and landed on the people in the table next to us."

Devon wasn't sure whether to laugh or to feel sympathetic.

"The maitre'D was PISSED," Sean continued. "It turns out that all of the money in my wallet couldn't pay for our food AND the food that was dropped." He looked up at the ceiling. "I had to wash dishes to make up the difference."

Devon decided not to laugh. She completely felt sorry for Sean. "I don't think anyone's date could have ended any worse."

Sean took his eyes off the ceiling to look back at Devon. "Oh, it did."

xxx

"I decided to help him out," Emma replied. "We washed dishes for over an hour!"

"Em...you didn't..."

Emma nodded. "I HAD to. I felt so bad! He was going through all of that trouble to take me out to dinner. I didn't want him to spend his entire evening washing dishes by himself because of ME." She paused for a moment when she felt a tickle in her nose. She sneezed loudly.

As a reflex, Manny turned her head away to avoid any flying germs. "Sounds like you're coming down with a cold."

"Probably because I was out in the rain the entire walk home."

Manny looked down at her umbrella, then back at Emma. She was confused.

xxx

"I was such an idiot to suggest taking the long way home," Sean grunted. "It started to pour, and Emma realized that she forgot her umbrella at the restaurant."

Devon rubbed her eyes disappointedly. Sean was right. The date DID get worse.

"We decided to make a run for it through the park. I got completely drenched!"

xxx

"Manny, I my legs were practically covered in mud!" Emma exclaimed. "It was awful. By then, I thought I was going to cry."

Manny shook her head in disbelief. "I'm sorry to hear your night ended up that way, Em." She was getting a little disappointed. She was hoping to hear about an enchanted evening. Instead, she was listening to an episode from The Twilight Zone.

Emma continued. "Well, I THOUGHT the entire night was going to turn into a disaster...." She drifted away as she sighed dreamily. "...but something strange happened..."

xxx

"I stopped running...then out of nowhere, I started...laughing." Sean laughed lightly to himself.

Devon listened to Sean's last statement and became confused. "You mean...you cracked up?" she translated back. "You lost your mind?"

xxx

"What was wrong with him?" Manny asked.

Emma shook her head. "I'm not exactly sure what brought that on. All I know...was that nothing really seemed to matter any more after that. All of the disasters that happened that night didn't even matter..."

xxx

"You mean SHE lost her mind, too..." Devon commented.

"Shut up, Dev." Sean laughed lightly and shook his head. "It wasn't like that."

xxx

"Then...what WAS it?" Manny asked.

Emma leaned forward and slid her arms over the table. "It just seemed...right. He was just in this playful mood after that." She smiled lightly to herself. "He ran around and jumped in the puddles like a little kid." She suddenly got flustered. "In the middle of all of that, I ended up slipping and falling flat on my butt in the mud! I was one big muddy mess!" She started to drift away in her little fantasy. "He helped me up...brushed the hair from my face...then whispered in my ear and told me that I was beautiful." She thought back at that moment. It felt so natural being in his arms again.

"Awww...." Manny cooed.

Emma blushed and looked at Manny. "And that's when he kissed me."

xxx

Devon nudged Sean playfully. "You stud."

Sean blushed again. "Shut up." He pushed himself away from the counter. "Anyway, the date ended there. It was too late to ask her to come over and watch a movie." He looked at the empty wine bottle behind him. "That was where the wine came into the picture. Craig brought it over." He rolled his eyes. "He thought it would set a 'romantic mood' ...or whatever."

Devon smirked. "Another bad idea," she muttered under her breath.

"Hey!" Sean got a little defensive with that comment.

Devon hopped off the counter top. "Wine? To set a romantic mood?" She made a sour face. "That's not you. That's the reason why your flowers died on you. It's the reason why you felt silly in your tie. It's the reason why that adventure to that RIDICULOUS restaurant was such a disaster." She walked up to him. "NONE of those things are you." She tilted her head and started to pace around the kitchen. "Now, you cracking up and laughing out of no where? THAT'S you." She tilted her head to the other side as she continued pacing. "The way you ran in the rain and goofed off? That's DEFINATELY you." She stopped pacing. "Emma obviously enjoys being with you. You don't have to impress her." She looked at Sean seriously. "You just being you...is enough." She nodded. "Remember that next time." She couldn't help but throw in one last smart remark. "It might save you some money and keep you from eating nasty food."

Sean shook his head as he turned around and opened the refrigerator to pull out his milk. He KNEW she couldn't resist. He poured the last of his milk into his bowl of cereal. "Are you hungry?" He stopped and looked at his empty milk carton. He realized that he was eating the LAST of his food and there was nothing left for Devon to eat. He pushed his cereal away and looked at his kitchen clock. He realized that it was already lunch time. "Let's order a pizza."

xxx

A mischevious grin crept onto Manny's face. "So..." she tapped her fingers on the table. "It's the day after the 'big kiss'." She leaned forward. "What romantic plans to you guys have for today?"

Emma blew her nose before answering. "Well..." She pointed at the paper bag in front of her. "if I'm coming down with a cold from being out in the rain...I'm assuming Sean is also. I've ordered soup to bring to him this afternoon." She picked up a plastic bag that was next to her feet. "I also rented some movies for us to watch all day."

"Well, have fun today, Em," Manny replied as she stood up. "And I guess a 'congratulations' are in order?"

"What do you mean?" Emma asked confused.

"Uh...hello!" Manny smiled at her proudly. "You two are officially a couple again, right?"

Emma looked at Manny, then leaned back in her chair. Her...and Sean? Together again? She smiled to herself. "I guess so..."

xxx

Sean smiled broadly when he found some money on the coffee table. Craig insisted on leaving MORE money for Sean's date yesterday. Sean was too proud to accept any more from him, so he left it on the coffee table before picking up Emma. He didn't think he would need it...at least until now. He decided to use the money for the pizza and pay Craig back later. He picked up the bills and walked towards the kitchen as he counted them.

Devon saw the money in his hands. "Don't you dare!" She tried to grab the bills from Sean's hands. "I'LL pay for the pizza. I owe you for putting up with me last night." She laughed haughtily. "Besides...YOU were the maniac who spent an outrageous amount of doe on frogs and snails!"

Sean pulled away from her. "Don't worry about it, Dev. I've got it..." he smirked. Actually, CRAIG got it.

They both looked up when they heard a knock on the door.

Sean was about to walk towards the door, but Devon grabbed his sleeve with one hand and grabbed his bowl full of cereal with the other. She poured the soggy cereal all over his shirt. "Let me pay!"

Sean shrieked when he felt the cold milk seep through his shirt. "My last clean shirt!" He took his shirt off to get the sticky mess off of him. He held his hands up. "Fine! Get your money!"

Devon gave a victorious smile and turned to run down the hall and into the bathroom.

As soon as Devon was out of sight, Sean laughed and picked up the money that fell on the floor. "NOT!!"

"Sean!" Devon screamed from the bathroom as she pulled out her money from her jeans pocket.

Sean walked up to the front door. "How much—?" He swung the door open and stopped mid-sentence. The person on the other side of the door wasn't the pizza guy. "Emma?"

Emma smiled and suddenly blushed when she saw Sean standing in front of her with his shirt off. "Umm..." She held up the bags she was holding. "I brought you some soup and rented some movies!" she replied cheerfully. She walked past him and stepped into his apartment.

Sean was so surprised to see her. He was still drenched from the milk, his hair was sticking up after sleeping in, and he knew his apartment was a wreck. He quickly tried to smooth out his hair "I wasn't expecting you."

Emma looked at him hopefully. "I know...I'm sorry." She smiled again. "I hope you don't mind--" She stopped when she noticed a bottle of wine on Sean's kitchen counter that was next to two empty wine glasses. She looked back at Sean and noticed his sloppy hair. Her smile faded. "Was I interrupting something?"

Suddenly, Devon flew around the corner. "At least let me pay for the tip!" she exclaimed as she pushed past Sean and shoved a handful of money in Emma's face. She jumped back slightly when she realized who was standing in front of her. "Emma!" She took another step back. "I'm sorry...I thought you were the pizza guy..."

Emma nearly lost her breath. She stared at Devon in an over-sized T-shirt that was obviously not hers. Her heart began to pound violently as disturbing thoughts swam around in her head. An empty wine bottle? Sean with his shirt off? Devon WEARING Sean's shirt? It was obvious what was going on here. She glared at Sean. "Yeah, right. You were expecting 'the pizza guy'," she snapped sarcastically. "It's pretty clear that you already had plans today." She threw a dirty look towards Devon. "With SOMEBODY ELSE!!"

Sean and Devon were both thrown off by Emma's outburst. They looked at her, then looked at each other to exchanged confused glances. Suddenly, they both realized what Emma was thinking. They quickly looked back at Emma.

Sean started to laugh. "No! Em..."

Devon shook her head. "It's not what you think!" she exclaimed at the same time.

Emma dropped her bags and took a few steps back. She began to hyperventilate and started to feel herself getting lightheaded. She was so disoriented that she didn't even want to listen to what Devon and Sean were saying to her. The only thing on her mind was to get out of there and be as far away as she could from the two of them.

Sean reached out his hand and took a few steps towards Emma. He saw the look of confusion on her face. "Em, why don't you sit down?"

Emma pushed his hand away. "Don't touch me!" she screamed. She took more steps back. "Don't touch me, don't come near me..." Her eyes began to tear up. "Don't ever speak to me!" She turned around and bolted out the front door.


	28. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Manny stepped back so Emma could open her locker. She shook her head disappointedly. She was so disgusted. "Sean's SUCH a jerk," she hissed with a curled lip.

Emma agreed with her friend, although she remained silent. She angrily slammed the books in her locker.

Sean and Devon turned the corner to head towards their lockers. "So what did Emma say when you called her yesterday?" Devon asked.

Sean shook his head. "She wouldn't come to the phone. I even dropped by her house last night, but Mr. Simpson said that she wasn't up for any visitors."

Devon looked down the hallway and saw Emma standing at her locker next to Manny. "Well, there's no way she can avoid you at school." She nodded her head towards Emma's direction.

Sean nervously took a deep breath.

Devon started to turn around. "Try to talk to her TODAY. Who knows what will spread around school about us!" She walked over to the Girl's wash room. "I've got to go to the restroom before class." In truth, she was almost nervous being seen around school with Sean. What if people actually thought they slept together? She wanted to try to stay distant from Sean today to spare his reputation. "Good luck."

Sean nodded and watched Devon swing open the door into the girl's wash room. He took another deep breath before approaching Emma's locker.

Emma kneeled down to the floor to zip up her bag.

Manny looked up and noticed Sean walking up to them. She slammed Emma's locker shut and stood in front of Sean with a scowl on her face. "Go away, Sean. Em doesn't want to speak to you."

Sean rolled his eyes. He leaned over to look around Manny. "Emma!" he called out. "Can we talk?" He looked at her hopefully. "Please?"

Emma looked up from her bag. She sighed as she stood up. Manny continued to stand between her and Sean with her arms crossed. "Manny...can you give us a minute?"

Manny looked at Emma with a surprised look on her face. She reluctantly looked over at Sean. She hesitated for a moment before giving in. "Fine," she replied back sternly while staring at Sean. Her eyes softened when she looked back at Emma. "I'll be in the wash room." She rudely brushed passed Sean with her nose in the air.

Sean gave a sigh of relief and leaned against Emma's locker. "I'm glad you're willing to hear me out—"

Emma crossed her arms and gritted her teeth. "No," she stated boldly. "I'M going to talk." Her eyes glared at Sean. "I've been so stupid!" Her eyes began to water. "To think...I actually thought that you—"

Her voice started to shake. "...that we—" She couldn't finish. It hurt her to stand next to him after finding out that he and Devon—she quickly closed her eyes. She couldn't even finish the thought in her head.

It was killing Sean seeing Emma so hurt. What bothered him even more was that he knew that Emma shouldn't even be feeling this way. In his eyes, he genuinely didn't do anything wrong to hurt her. He was dying to tell her the truth. He was dying to make her stop hurting.

Emma fought hard to compose herself. She held herself together to manage to look at Sean in the eyes. "You're just a waste of my time," she whispered coldly. She brushed passed Sean before he could see the tears rolling down her cheeks.

Sean wasn't even given the chance to do any explaining. He just accepted his defeat. He closed his eyes and sighed as he rested the back of his head against the locker behind him.

Devon was getting ready to turn around to flush the toilet, but stopped when she realized who was in the wash room with her.

Hazel and Paige strolled into the girl's wash room and saw Manny standing in front of the mirror. "What's up with Emma?" Paige asked. She placed her purse on top of one of the sinks. "Did she find out that another tree from the rainforest got knocked down?"

Manny widened her eyes as she brushed mascara on to her eyelashes. "Nope. But close." She turned as she closed her mascara container. "There's only one other thing besides the environment that could get her THAT upset."

Hazel and Paige glanced at each other and smirked. "Guy problems?" Hazel asked.

Paige looked at her reflection in the mirror and started to fluff her hair with her hand. "More specifically...Sean?" She rolled her eyes. "Is she STILL wasting her time with that walking temper tantrum?" She pulled out her lip gloss. "I mean...really!"

Devon leaned against the stall door and felt her jaw clench.

Manny leaned against the sink. "I know. I've been warning her about Sean for days!" She looked down at the floor. "I KNEW he would hurt her."

Hazel and Paige took a moment to look away from their reflections. They were always up for gossip.

Manny looked up at them. "Sean slept with someone this weekend. And it wasn't Emma."

Paige tried to refrain herself from grinning mischeviously. "Do tell."

"Sean and Emma sorta 'hooked-up' Friday night," Manny explained. "And just when she thought she and Sean were back together, she shows up at his place the next morning and finds another girl WITH him—wearing HIS shirt."

Paige gasped, then grinned. "I guess we all knew that Sean had it in him."

"What do you mean?" Manny asked.

Paige tossed her lip gloss back in her purse. "Come on, Manny! Sean is your typical bad boy. The guy girls DREAM about being with, but reality, KNOW they can never be with. He's such a loser. Right when you think his life can actually get decent, he manages to screw it up!"

"Like that one time he got in that fight with Jimmy?" Hazel chimed in. "He ended up shoving Emma, his own girlfriend, to the ground!"

Manny nodded in agreement. "And the other time he STOLE Mr. Simpson's laptop?" She frowned. "And Mr. Simpson was sick!"

"You see?" Paige asked haughtily. "He's a self-destructing time bomb. And as if he can't screw up his life any MORE, he decides to hurt the people who try to get close to him in the process."

Manny nodded again. "Like Emma."

Hazel gave a lop-sided grin. "She's better off without him." She shrugged. "Why be with Sean if she can be with somebody better?"

Devon waited until she heard the girls pack up their things and leave the wash room. She opened the stall door and frowned. She couldn't believe that this was how people thought about Sean. And they were supposedly his "friends".

She flushed the toilet, washed her hands, then walked out of the wash room. As she turned the corner, she stopped and took a few steps back. She noticed Manny talking to Sean in the hallway. She peeked around the corner to listen in on their conversation.

Sean pulled up the strap of his book bag that was slipping off his shoulder. "Manny...can you please try to find some way to get Emma to talk to me?"

Manny crossed her arms. "Why?" she snapped. She shook her head. "Don't even try to talk to her, Sean." She brushed past him again. "She's too good for you."

Devon saw the devastated look on Sean's face. What surprised her was that it appeared that Sean AGREED with Manny. She shook her head and watched Manny strut down the hallway. She narrowed her eyes and stared coldly at the back of Manny's head, as if she could burn a hole through it if she stared hard enough. She crossed her arms. It was obvious that Sean wasn't going to speak up for himself. Why SHOULD he? He would probably get reminded AGAIN of how Emma was out of his league. She also knew that he was staying quiet to prevent burning any bridges with his so-called "friends". Devon leaned against the wall and raised her eyebrows. If SEAN wasn't going to say anything...then maybe SHE should. And she knew exactly who to blow up at first.

xxx

Manny walked up her driveway and noticed a figure sitting on her porch. She suddenly became disappointed when she noticed who the figure was.

Devon stood up from the porch step and crossed her arms. "Hello, Manny," she replied in a not-so-friendly manner.

Manny sighed tiredly. "I'm not talking to you."

"Well, too bad, because I'm going to speak and you're going to listen." Devon refused to allow Manny to brush past her.

Manny started to get irritated. "Look, if you don't get out of my way, I swear I'll scream and get the neighbors' attention."

Devon couldn't help but be amused. "If you want to act like you're FIVE-YEARS-OLD, then go right ahead," she replied sarcastically. Her voice suddenly turned serious. "But, if you want to handle this in a MATURE way, you'll consider talking to me."

Manny had no choice but to give in. It was apparent that Devon wasn't going to leave. She rested her hands on her hips and slightly jutted out her lower jaw. "Fine."

Devon decided to get down to business. "What's your problem?"

Manny raised her eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

Devon paused for a moment. Her question seemed straightforward. What part did she not understand? "What is your problem?" she asked again, but this time, slightly slower.

"My PROBLEM?" She crossed her arms. "The fact that my friend is hurt because of you and Sean is my problem.

Devon shook her head. "The only person hurting Emma...is EMMA."

"What the hell is THAT supposed to mean?"

"Apparently Emma WANTS to get hurt," Devon answered back. "Her imagination is the only thing that's getting in the way. She thought the worst when she saw Sean and actually believed it. And what blows my mind is that she STILL believes it! She won't give us the chance to tell her the TRUTH."

"So, what IS the truth, Devon?" Manny demanded. "What 'really' happened with you and Sean?"

"Newsflash: Sean and I didn't sleep together." She shrugged. "Hate to disappoint you with such boring gossip. I'm just his friend."

"You mean, you're friends when you're not in bed together?" Manny snapped back.

"No," Devon stated boldly. "His friend. You see--unlike you hypocrites--I'm a REAL friend. I always have his back no matter what. I'll always give him the benefit of the doubt because I have faith in him. That's just what you DO for a friend. Now, with YOU guys..." She shook her head with disbelief. "Why do all of you automatically think the worst of him?"

Manny looked at Devon in the eyes. "Because that's just who he is."

Devon felt insulted for Sean. She held up a finger. "So...let me get this straight. You are the cheerleader, Emma's the environmentalist, JT's the joker, Toby and Liberty are the smarties...and Sean is...what? The troublemaker? The rebel? ...The guy who ALWAYS makes the mistakes?"

Manny refused to answer.

Devon was officially disgusted with the matter. "And to think...he told me how you guys have been his friends the past three years. All this time, it was just some inside joke to all of you. He was this kid from the wrong-side-of-the-tracks that lingered around you guys to make you feel more superior." She started to get even more angry when Manny didn't comment. That only meant that what she was saying was true in Manny's eyes. "What IS it about Emma Nelson that makes her worthy enough to be on this pedestal everyone has her on?"

It took a while for Manny to answer. "Sean is just not good enough for her," was all she can say.

"Why?" Devon asked nonchalantly. She wasn't convinced.

Manny started to become defensive. "Look—I'm not sure what Sean has or hasn't told you, but HE was the reason the two of them broke up...TWICE."

Devon disagreed and shook her head.

"You know what happened in Grade 7?" Manny asked. "For some reason, Sean and Jimmy Brooks got into some argument that eventually lead to a fight. When Emma tried to stop the fight, Sean shoved her to the ground! After all of the help she has given him, he does THAT to her."

Devon held her hands up. "What are you talking about?" she asked defensively. "Emma was physically getting herself in a middle of a fist fight between two guys that were obviously pissed off at each other. A NUN would have been shoved out of the way if she got in the middle of that fight!" She smirked. "Oh, and by the way...did that fight have ANYTHING to do with Emma?"

Manny didn't answer. She wasn't sure what point Devon was trying to make.

Devon decided to answer for her. "The fight had NOTHING to do with her. What was she doing in the middle of it anyway?"

In a way, Devon was right, but Manny wasn't going to admit that. "Well, Sean needs to learn how to control his temper," she stated in a matter-of-factly tone.

"Well...Emma needs to learn how to mind her own business and stay out of other people's affairs," Devon replied back in a similar tone.

Manny rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she muttered. She didn't care. She was positive that she was going to prove Devon wrong. "Do you know what happened last year with break-up #2?" She crossed her arms. "They broke up last year because Sean is a selfish jerk." She shook her head in disappointment. "He was JEALOUS that Emma was spending time with her SICK father and not him. He just dropped her like yesterday's trash for his new sleezy friends."

"Emma was JUST as selfish as Sean, Manny," Devon answered back. "Sean wasn't jealous of Emma because she was spending all of her time with her step-dad. He was hurt that she was putting EVERYTHING ELSE in front of him. School was more important than him. The ENVIRONMENTAL CLUB was more important than him!"

Manny was convinced that Devon didn't understand the situation. "Emma had a lot of things on her mind. She needed distractions."

"Was Sean not good enough to even be a distraction for her?" Devon frowned. "Why didn't she call him every once in a while to confide in him on how stressed she was getting? Why didn't she invite him to the house to help out or to visit Mr. Simpson? A father with cancer isn't an excuse to forget your boyfriend. She treated her time with Sean like it was an errand." She held her hands up as if she was checking off an imaginary list with an imaginary pen. "Get homework done? Check. Watch my brother this afternoon? Check. Work on environmental club? Make time for boyfriend?" She held a finger to her chin. "Hmmmm...if I hang out with Sean WHILE working on the environmental club...I can kill two birds with one stone!" she remarked sarcastically. "Check, check." She shook her head. "Sean was just an item on the BOTTOM of her check list and he was fed up with it!" She took another step towards Manny. "Let's face it! Your friend is selfish! She actually thought that it was okay to set Sean aside in her life, because she EXPECTED him to stick around. Well, guess what! Sean was smart enough not to take that." She laughed lightly. "You know why? Because he deserves BETTER than that." She raised her eyebrows. "Sean not good enough for Emma?" She shook her head. "Did you ever think that EMMA isn't good enough for SEAN?"

Manny pretty much took everything Devon was saying to her in one ear and out the other. She was too busy trying to think of what to rebuttal with. "Sean STOLE her dad's laptop." She waited to see what Devon was going to say next. She stood there confidently with a "so, what do you have to say about THAT?" look on her face.

"People change," Devon answered back without hesitating. She nodded. "And Sean's PROVEN that. He wasn't proud of what he did. He came clean to Mr. Simpson, and he worked on the guy's car for an entire summer to make it up to him. That took guts. And it shows character." She looked back at Manny and realized that her opponent couldn't think of anything else to come back with.

By this time, the intensity of their argument started to subside. Devon sat back down on the porch step. "Look, you can give me a million reasons why Sean isn't the perfect boyfriend...but, I can give you a million more reasons why EMMA isn't a perfect girlfriend. We can write a list as long as your driveway of reasons why the two of them shouldn't be together." She looked up at Manny. "But, whether you like it or not...the ONLY thing that matters is that they actually want to TRY to be together. That one reason alone cancels everything else out."

Manny actually took the time to soak in what Devon just said. She looked down at the ground and kicked a tiny cobblestone that was at her feet. She looked back at Devon seriously. "I just don't want my best friend to get hurt."

Devon smiled for the first time during the conversation. "Finally. Something we BOTH can agree on." She didn't want her own best friend to get hurt either.

Manny sighed. "So, why DID you come here?" She still didn't understand the purpose of this confrontation.

Devon stood up to walk up to Manny. "I came here to ask you stay out of this thing between Emma and Sean." She shrugged. "Actually, I think that it's best if we BOTH stay out of this. I've been pushing Sean to go for Emma just as hard as you've been pushing Emma to stay away from him. I think we need to let them work this out on their own without us pressuring them all the time."

Manny stood there quietly for a moment. It was hard for her to decide to back down at a time like this, especially with Emma feeling so vulnerable. On the other hand, she knew that it was best for Emma to figure out her own feelings for Sean without being influenced by her bickering friends. "Fine," she mumbled back under her breath.

Devon looked up. "What?" She didn't think that it would be this easy to get Manny to cooperate.

Manny shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "I said...fine. I'll agree to stay out of the way. ...For now."


	29. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Devon gloomily walked through the halls of Degrassi the next morning. She normally didn't mind getting out of bed everyday to go to school. However, this day was different than the other days.

She was surprised to see a present waiting for her as she approached her locker. Tangled around her combination lock was a large sunflower. She smiled as she happily untangled the stem from her lock. She leaned over to smell the flower as Craig walked up to her.

Craig raised his eyebrows. "Are my eyes fooling me?" he asked. "Is Devon--the anti-flower receiver, because flowers are so generic--Simmons ACTUALLY excited that someone gave her a flower this morning?"

"Well...let's just say that this particular flower on this particular day...is an exception," Devon answered back.

Craig looked around. "Who's the secret admirer?"

Devon shook her head. "No admirer." She smiled. "This is from a friend."

xxx

At lunch, Sean walked into the cafeteria and looked around. He saw Emma sitting at a table with Manny and Liberty. He stood there to see how long it would take to get her attention. For a brief moment, Emma turned around and noticed Sean staring at her. Sean perked up and glanced back at her with a hopeful look. For a split second, they caught each other's eyes, but Emma turned back around to continue her conversation with her friends. Sean sighed sadly when he realized that he would have to go another day without speaking to Emma. He decided not to speak to her until she was ready, and by the looks of it...today was just not the day.

He turned to look out the window and noticed Devon sitting outside on the school lawn by herself. He decided to have lunch outside today. He had suddenly felt an eerie chill in the air of the cafeteria, and he had a feeling that it was coming from Emma's table.

Devon stared blankly at the sunflower in her hand.

"I thought the flower would cheer you up, not bring you down," a voice replied behind her.

Devon slid to the side to allow Sean to sit next to her. "It DID cheer me up." She smiled. "Thank you." Her smile quickly faded as she looked around. "Should we even be talking in public?" she asked nervously. She didn't want people to get the wrong impression of them. "I mean, with you sitting here next to me—"

"Don't worry about it, Dev." Sean shook his head. "I'm having lunch with my best friend. Avoiding you in public would only admit to everyone that we did something wrong—even if we DIDN'T do anything wrong." He looked back at Devon. "I've got nothing to hide. If I want to have lunch outside with my friend, then I will. There's no crime in that." He wanted to get off that subject. Actually, he was tired of thinking about it. He focused back on Devon. "So...how are you holding up today?" He nodded towards the sunflower in Devon's hand. "I remembered what today was."

Devon held the flower up and smiled again. "I've been thinking about her since I woke up this morning." Today marked the anniversary of her grandmother's death. Her grandmother, Marilyn Simmons, passed away seven years from today.

Sean took the flower from Devon for a moment. "Do you remember when she used to MAKE us help with her sunflower garden?" He never WAS able to develop a green thumb, no matter how many times he was forced to learn how to garden.

Devon laughed lightly and nodded. "Of course!" She remembered always bickering about doing "chores," but deep down, she enjoyed gardening with her grandmother. She never realized how much she missed it until her grandmother passed away. She sighed. "I haven't visited her since my mom and I moved to Wasaga Beach."

Sean handed the flower back to Devon. "Do you want me to go with you?" he asked concerned.

Devon shook her head. "Thanks...but I think I should go see her on my own..."

Sean nodded understandingly.

Devon positioned her hands behind her so she could lean back. She stared out into the distance. "Remember how she always made me go to church with her every Sunday?" She grunted. "I HATED sitting through those services!"

Sean chuckled. "How can I forget? She ALWAYS asked me every Sunday if I would go with you guys!" And every week, he would say 'no'.

Devon pulled her knees up. "Before every service, she would make me go up to light a candle for my mom." She rolled her eyes. "I don't know why...but she always thought that lighting a candle every week would somehow make my mom change." She looked back at Sean. "We both knew that all the lit candles in the world wouldn't change my mom...but for some reason...she kept her faith in that." That's just the type of person her grandmother was. She always believed that everything would eventually be okay, despite the chaos Devon's mother put them through. She pushed back to lay on the grass. "Remember when I told you that I hid away in a church for a while shortly after I lost my apartment?"

Sean nodded as he plucked a few blades of grass from the ground.

Devon looked up at the fluffy clouds in the sky. "I felt safe there. It almost felt like my grandmother was in the church with me, watching over me." She rested her hands behind her head. "Want to hear something funny?"

Sean waited for Devon to continue as he twisted the grass in between his fingers.

"I lit a candle every night for my mom...because I knew that was what my grandmother would have wanted be me to do." She rolled her eyes. "As if my mom would pop back into my life some day." She turned her head to look at Sean. "Pretty stupid, huh?"

Sean shook his head. "I don't think so." He looked back at Devon. "It just shows that you haven't given up on your mom...that's all." He shrugged. "And I think that's exactly what your grandmother would have wanted you to do." He smiled reassuringly. "I have a feeling that she's proud of you for doing that."

Emma stared out the window as Manny and Liberty rambled on and on.

Liberty waved a hand in front of Emma. "Earth to Emma!" She laughed. "Aren't you even listening?"

"Uh-huh," Emma answered back with no emotion. She continued to look out the window. She was busy watching Sean and Devon have some kind of "moment" outside.

Manny turned to see what Emma was looking at and saw Sean and Devon. She wanted to say something, but stopped herself. She remembered what Devon asked of her yesterday and decided to stick with what she agreed with. She decided to keep any "Sean" comments to herself.

Suddenly, Paige and Hazel came up to the table and slid into seats next to Emma.

"You'll never guess what we heard!" Paige exclaimed excitedly.

Liberty, Manny, and Emma turned to look at Paige.

"It's about Devon," Hazel chimed in.

Paige rested her arms on the table and leaned forward. "Remember that Glenbrook cheerleader Devon almost got in a fight with at The Dot?" she asked in a low voice. "I think her name was Marcy," she added quickly. "Anyway, it turns out that Heather Sinclair is that cheerleader's COUSIN!"

Manny shrugged. "So?" she asked.

"Marcy used to go to Wasaga Beach High with Devon before she transferred to Glenbrook," Hazel explained.

Paige's eyes sparkled as she grinned mischievously. "And you'll never guess what we found out..."

xxx

Devon nervously walked through the rows of gravestones as she clutched the sunflower in her hand. She kneeled down when she finally spotted her grandmother's gravesite.

"Hey, Grams," she whispered. She placed the sunflower in front of the tombstone. "This is from Sean," she explained. "He just wanted you to know that he was thinking about you today." She sighed. "I'm sorry that I haven't been able to visit you as often as I should." She traced the letters of her grandmother's name with her fingertip. "But I think about you everyday...I promise."

She stood up and dug her hands in her pockets. "I bet you've been turning over in your grave a few times the past few months." She shamefully looked towards the ground. "I'm sure you've been disappointed in the things I've been doing...and thinking about...lately." She shrugged. "But, as you can see, I'm okay...for now."

She continued to stare at her grandmother's engraved name for a moment. She felt her eyes begin to fill with tears. "Who am I kidding?" she muttered under her breath. "I'm NOT okay," she admitted. "To tell you the truth...I'm scared." It was weird admitting that to her grandmother. It was even weird admitting that to HERSELF...out loud. "For once, I'm lost...and I honestly don't know where to go from here. Sometimes I wonder if I even have the strength to make through another day..."

She kneeled back down. "I miss you," she whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek. She held up her right hand to kiss the tips of her index and middle fingers. She pressed her fingers to the gravestone.

xxx

Sean walked down the aisle of the cathedral. His footsteps echoed throughout the building. He nervously took a deep breath. There was always something about churches that made him...uneasy.

He took a seat in one of the middle pews. He looked around the empty building, then looked up at the large stain-glass windows in front of the church. He folded his hands in front of him, and for a brief second, he wondered if there was a correct "technique" for praying. He quickly brushed that silly thought from his head. He cleared his throat. "Uh...God?" He quickly turned around. He was surprised to hear his voice echo throughout the church. "Um..." He cleared his throat again. "I know that I've only been to church twice in my entire life...and I know that both times, I didn't even pay attention to the sermon...but I was wondering if you could just set those two facts aside and take a minute to hear me out."

He looked up at the stain-glass windows again as if somebody was on the other side listening to him. "I, myself, have a ton of problems going on in my life that I can talk to you about...but I'll have to save that for another day. My best friend's name is Devon Simmons, and I'm here today to talk to you about her. You see...we've known each other since we've been born, and we've always looked out for each other." Before Devon's grandmother died, she had asked Sean to look after Devon, and he promised her that he would. He looked down at his hands, then looked up again. "I've always been able to protect her from the people who have hurt her in the past—her mom, her mom's boyfriends, bullies from school..." He sighed disappointedly. "But I recently found out that I haven't done a good job with that lately." He felt like he had let Devon's grandmother down. "What are you supposed to do you do when you find out that the person who is hurting her the most...is her? How am I supposed to protect her from herself?"

Sean sat there quietly for a moment. He felt that there was still more to say. "I'll admit that I never used to believe in you. And I'll even admit that I never used to think there was a heaven." He nervously looked up at the ceiling. Was that safe to say in a church? Would he be struck down by lightning just for saying that out loud in a church? He looked back down at his hands. He rubbed his sweaty palms together as he spoke. "But...I've been thinking the past few days...maybe you ARE real. I've been thinking over and over again of how Devon was lucky enough to escape death TWICE." He looked at the cross that was placed on the altar. "And I realized that maybe it's because you're not ready for her to go to heaven yet." He gulped. "And if that's true...I'd like to thank you for keeping her here." He nodded. "So...thanks."

He stood up and stepped out into the aisle. He held up a finger. "Oh yeah—one more thing." He leaned against the pew. "If you see Devon's grandmother...tell her that I promise that I'll do a better job this time around." He nodded. "I promise," he repeated again.

He made his way towards the exit, but stopped when he noticed a particular area in the corner of the church. There was an area of tiny candles surrounding a statuette of the Virgin Mary. A few of the candles were already lit. He remembered how Devon used to light a candle for her mother every time she was at church. He decided to light a candle, but he didn't light one for Devon's mother.

He lit one for Devon.


	30. Chapter 29

Okay...here's the COMPLETED Chapter 29.

Chapter 29

Everybody excitedly whispered amongst each other before homeroom started.

Manny nervously leaned over towards Emma. "Do you think it's true?" she asked nervously.

Emma shrugged. "I suppose. That Marcy girl and Devon obviously knew each other from somewhere."

Liberty set down her school books on her desk. "Please." She rolled her eyes. "PAIGE told us this stuff." She smirked. "And besides! SHE got the information from HEATHER SINCLAIR! Those two aren't exactly the most reliable sources." She slid in her seat, then stared back at Manny and Emma. They weren't as convinced as she was. She gave a lop-sided grin. "But, I DID see a man having a meeting with Devon in Miss Sauve's office last week. I heard that the man was Devon's social worker." She could feel the guilt eating away at the lining of her stomach. She couldn't believe she was gossiping. Oddly enough...she couldn't resist the urge to do so. Devon was such a secretive person. It was almost intriguing finding out stuff about her. "A social worker usually deals with kids with unstable families...right?"

JT jumped into the conversation. He was two rows from Liberty, Emma, and Manny, but he couldn't help but listen in on what the three were discussing. "Yeah...but they also deal with 'troubled' kids in general."

Emma worriedly shook her head. "I just can't believe Sean is getting caught up with a girl like this." She paused for a moment. "Even JAY is a 'safer' person to hang out with than Devon." She looked around and saw the shocked expressions on Liberty and Manny's faces. 'Did I just say that out loud?' she wondered to herself. She quickly shut up.

As Sean was walking down the hallway towards homeroom, he couldn't help but notice an unusual "buzz" going around school. It seemed like everywhere he turned, people were whispering to each other. He began to slow his pace to give him a chance to find out what some of the whispering was all about. He walked by three girls who were exiting the girl's wash room.

"I heard that she does drugs," one girl replied.

"I heard that she overdosed one time and went to the hospital," another girl added.

The third girl chimed in. "Well, I heard that she SLEEPS with guys at motels to get money for the drugs!"

The other two girls gasped with disgust.

Sean quickened his step again and shook his head. They were either talking about some movie or TV show. Either way—WAY too much drama for him to listen to. He walked through the doorway to homeroom, then quickly stopped. He noticed that before he walked into the room, there was the usual pre-homeroom mumbling. Now, the room suddenly became silent when he stepped inside. He looked around and quickly felt uneasy. There were some people even staring at him.

He forced himself to brush off the awkwardness. 'Maybe this is just a "Twilight Zone" moment,' he thought to himself. 'Maybe I'm just imagining all of this.' He quietly took his seat, but still felt some eyes staring at him. 'Or maybe...not...'

xxx

Devon walked down the hallway to head towards her locker. Today felt different to her. Were people staring at her? She stopped and quickly looked around and saw some eyes quickly drift away from her. She shook her head and continued walking. She passed by small groups of people and noticed an odd pattern. People remained quiet as she walked closer to them, but as she passed them, she heard excited whispering. 'What the hell is going on here?' she wondered to herself.

The staring and whispering eventually became unbearable to her. She stopped by a water fountain to take a quick sip. As she leaned over, she felt someone bump into her. She quickly stood straight up and turned around. A guy just stared at her as he walked away in the opposite direction.

"Uh...excuse you!" Devon called back rudely. The guy obviously bumped into her on purpose. She rolled her eyes, then shook her head. She quickly turned the corner. She needed to get to her locker and to homeroom quick. Hanging out in the hallways was beginning to get too uncomfortable.

"Hey, Devon!" a voice called from behind her.

Devon smiled back. "Hey, Craig! Ready for your gig at The Attic next week?"

Craig disappointedly shook his head. "Don't remind me! I've been completely busy since I found out I won the contest!" He held up a camera that was hanging around his neck. "To make things even BUSIER, I have to take pictures for yearbook this week!"

Devon nodded. "Well...good luck!"

"Are you headed to homeroom?" he asked.

"I just need to stop by my locker really quick."

Craig smiled back. "I'll walk with you!"

Craig looked up and his smiled quickly faded. He stopped dead in his tracks.

Devon stopped next to him. "Craig?" She looked at Craig, then turned her head to see what he was staring at. Her jaw dropped. She had to blink a few times to make sure her eyes weren't deceiving her.

There was a small crowd surrounding her locker. The crowd noticed Devon nearby and parted to allow her to walk up to it. Some people walked away, but some people continued to linger around and whisper.

Devon slowly walked closer to her locker. Spray-painted on her locker door was the word "WHORE."

Craig looked at the students that were still lingering around. "Who did this?" he demanded. Everyone just continued to stare and whisper. "What are you guys looking at, huh? There's NOTHING to see!" he yelled.

Devon held out her arm to stop him. "Craig..don't" she replied in a low voice. "I'll see you in homeroom."

Craig was surprised to see Devon so calm. "But—" He pointed at her locker.

"I'll see you in homeroom," Devon repeated.

Craig hesitated for a moment but nodded, then turned around. He threw angry glances towards the students he walked by.

Devon squared her shoulders back and held her head up. She took a deep breath and brushed past people to get to her locker. With an expressionless face, she opened her locker, pulled out the book she needed for the day, then closed her locker. She turned around and casually brushed past the students again.

As she walked down the hallway and turned the corner, she detoured into the girl's wash room. She looked around cautiously to see if anyone else was in the wash room with her. She began to breathe quickly. Her eyes started to fill with tears. She leaned over to wash her face. She grabbed a paper towel to pat her face dry and looked up to glance at her reflection in the mirror. She gripped the sides of the sink and leaned against it. She suddenly felt light-headed. Images of whispering students flashed in her head. The image of her vandalized locker flashed next. A tear rolled down her cheek. It was like Wasaga Beach High all over again.

She wiped her tear away, stood up straight, and slowly took a deep breath. She smoothed out her shirt and looked at her reflection in the mirror again. She needed to pull herself together. She wasn't going to allow anyone to see how this was affecting her. She wasn't going to give anyone that satisfaction.

She took another deep breath and swung the door open. She exited the girl's wash room and made her way to homeroom.

"Miss Simmons!"

Devon turned around and saw Raditch approaching her. She prepared herself for what he was going to do. Was he going to yell at her for the graffitti on her locker?

Raditch walked up to her and rested a hand on her shoulder. "I need you to go to my office," he replied gently. "I called your social worker."

xxx

Sean watched the second hand on the clock. The second the hand hit 12, the bell rang and he practically jumped out of his seat. He scooped up his notebook and papers from his desk and flung his opened bookbag over his shoulder.

He desperately scanned the hallways for Devon and started to become frantic when she was no where in sight. It was lunchtime, and by now, the entire school heard the rumors about Devon's past and the locker incident from this morning.

People weren't whispering and hiding it this time. The rumors were flying out loud and clear. Every person he passed was talking:

"Did you hear about that new girl?"

"She sleeps around for drugs."

"Really? I just heard that she slept around for money, like a prostitute or something."

"She was homeless for a while."

"I heard she has been bouncing from one foster home to another because nobody wants her."

Sean shook his head violently to try to drown out the buzz. He pushed open the lunch room doors and stopped to look around. He wasn't sure why people were so caught up in these stories, but he knew WHERE they were getting this information.

His eyes locked on Paige's table. She was surrounded by a small crowd of people. He darted towards the table and heard the latest gossip that was spreading around.

Paige looked around at the faces surrounding her. They were hanging on to her every word. "Her mom abandoned her, you know," she gloated. "She couldn't handle the wild child, so she picked up and left."

"Really?" Hazel asked confused. She looked around at everybody and tried to steal some attention from Paige. "I heard that she ran away from home and her mom has been trying to find her ever since."

Sean barged up to them and threw their lunch trays to the floor with one quick swipe of his arm.

Paige and Hazel jumped back slightly.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Sean demanded. His eyes were on fire.

Paige waved her hand. "Uh, EXCUSE you."

"We were trying to have a conversation here," Hazel remarked smartly.

"Are you two REALLY this heartless?" Sean asked.

Paige just rolled her eyes.

Sean huffed. "I mean, really! Is this actually entertainment to you? ...These lies?"

"They're not lies." Hazel looked up at Sean. "People deserve to know the truth." She shrugged. "Degrassi needs to know what type of person is attending this school."

Paige nodded and crossed her legs. She was entertained that Sean's outburst was only giving them more attention. "Hazel's right. People need to know that there is a drug dealer, prostitute, and run away in this school." She raised her voice for people in the adjacent table to hear. "Degrassi needs to protect themselves from the drugs and STD's she can spread around. For all we know, she's probably a thief! They need to stay clear from this bad influence."

Some students nodded in agreement.

Sean leaned forward until he was an inch from Paige and Hazel's faces. "Keep spreading rumors about Devon," he dared. "I'll make sure you regret it."

Paige gasped dramatically. "Are you THREATENING us?"

Sean shook his head and stood up. "No. I'm WARNING you." He slammed this fist against the table, and this time, half the people in the cafeteria jumped.

He turned around and darted out the cafeteria. He headed down the hall, and before he knew it, he was heading out the front doors of the school. He couldn't stand to be in that school for another second.

"Hey, Cameron!" A voice called behind him.

Sean rolled his eyes and started to jog lightly down the front steps. "Not now, Jay."

Jay grabbed his arm to stop him. "Hey, man. Calm down! Don't listen to the crap people are saying."

Sean turned around to look at Jay. He was surprised to see his friend so amused. "What are you smiling about?"

Jay nudged him playfully. "Come on, man. I can see why you're so attached to the girl." He leaned closer and lowered his voice. "I'd go for her, too, since she's a sure lay."

Sean felt the wind get sucked out of him in that split second. His fist tightened up. He had enough of this. He swung and punched Jay in the jaw.

Jay never saw it coming. All he knew was that he was on the concrete. "Hey!" he screamed. "What the hell is your problem?"

Sean jumped on top of Jay and straddled him. He couldn't control himself. His fists were flying.

"FIGHT!" Someone screamed in the background.

Alex ran outside. "Jay!" She frantically ran up to the scene and tried to push Sean off. "Sean, get off him!"

Sean alternated his fists to Jay's face.

Emma also ran to the commotion. Her jaw dropped when she saw what was going on.

Alex wasn't strong enough to shove Sean away. "Somebody stop him!"

Emma ran down the steps and bravely tried to grab Sean's arm. "Sean! Quit! Please!" She couldn't believe her eyes. It was as if Sean couldn't hear anything going on around him. His eyes were so empty. It was as if he was being programmed to beat someone to the ground without thinking.

Devon ran to the front of the school. She brushed past Alex and shoved Emma out of the way. "SEAN!!" She screamed. "STOP!"

Emma watched Sean's eyes snap back into reality when he heard Devon's voice. He held one fist in the air. He looked up and saw Devon standing over him. She was frantic. He looked down at Jay's bloody face, then looked at his bloody fists. He began to breathe heavily when he realized what he had just done.

Devon peeled Sean off of Jay's body. "Let's go!" She pulled him up. "Let's get out of here before Raditch sees."

They ran off campus as fast as they could.

Alex tended to her boyfriend. She began to cry hysterically. She watched the two figures run across the parking lot. "You freaks!!"

Emma saw Raditch and Coach Armstrong run outside. There were students gathering around everywhere. Everything was so chaotic that no one noticed Emma leave the campus.

Devon and Sean ran around the corner. Sean tiredly collapsed and sat on the edge of the curb outside of The Dot.

Devon stood in front of him and put her hands on her hips. "What the HELL were you doing?" She started to pace back and forth. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING?" she asked again.

Sean didn't answer back. He rested his arms over his knees and stared at the ground.

"I can't BELIEVE you just---!!" Devon turned around to pace the other way. "I mean...did you realize what you just---!!" She stopped pacing and looked down at Sean. "Why did you do that?" was the only complete sentence she could get out.

Sean just closed his eyes and shook his head.

Devon kneeled down in front of him. "This is NOT going to be like it was in Wasaga Beach, do you understand?" she demanded sternly. "You are NOT going to get into fights like these again!" She took a deep breath to force herself to calm down. "I mean...do you honestly think that you can beat up every person in Degrassi that talks about me?" She held her hands up. "Do you honestly think it's worth it?"

Sean looked up from the ground. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "They are spreading LIES about you, Dev! If anything, I thought you'd be beating Paige AND Hazel to the ground right now!"

Devon shook her head. "Just forget about them, Sean." She sighed hopelessly. "It's just not worth it." She looked at him. "Besides...I'm not going to be at that school for very long, anyway. So, don't waste your energy."

"What?" Did he miss something? "What are you talking about?"

Devon sighed again. "My social worker was called the second Raditch found out about my locker. My social worker wants to pull me out of this 'environment' as soon as possible." She looked at Sean seriously. "He's arranging for a tutor to go to Mrs. Hoffman's house until my placement is finalized."

"Finalized?" Sean asked.

Devon nodded. "My social worker is trying to get me in that shelter in British Columbia sooner than expected." Her eyes started to water. "He'll have me placed there in a week. TWO weeks tops."

Sean closed his eyes and sighed. "Oh my god," he muttered.

"But, I'm not going."

Sean opened his eyes. "What?"

"I'm not going," Devon replied back seriously. "I'm going to gather up all the money I can get, and I'm gone. I'm gonna to run."

Sean shook his head. "You're not serious! Dev, you can't live on the streets!"

"No, Sean. I can't live in that shelter."

Sean tried his best to think of something to say that would change Devon's mind, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to come up with something convincing. He tiredly pulled his bandana off his head. In the process, he took a glimpse of his fists. They were splotched with dry blood. Jay's blood. "What have I done?"

"Geez, look at you!" Devon took the bandana from Sean's hand and brought it up to his face. "Your lip is bleeding."

Emma turned around the corner and stopped when she saw Devon and Sean. She wanted to see if Sean was okay, but by the looks of it, he was already being taken care of. She crossed her arms and glared at Devon. DEVON was the reason why Sean was acting so explosive. She felt that she needed to get Sean away from Devon--and fast--before he ends up throwing his life away.


	31. Chapter 30

_**I updated Chapter 29, so the chapter is up and COMPLETED. Make sure you read the rest of chapter 29 before reading this one.**_

Chapter 30

Sean leaned back in his chair and sighed. He was sitting at his usual spot in the principal's office.

Principal Raditch leaned forward in his chair and folded his hands in front of him. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Mr. Cameron..."

'Oh, boy...here it comes!' Sean thought to himself.

"Your behavior yesterday was unacceptable." He was surprised to see Sean staring blankly back at him, completely unaffected. "Do you even understand how serious this is?! Mr. Hogart could have suffered from very serious skull fractures."

"But he didn't," Sean replied back nonchalantly. Actually, he was more relieved than what he was letting on. He was worried about what he did to Jay.

"He could have pressed charges against you."

"But he didn't," he repeated again in a similar tone. Deep inside, he was surprised. The idea of being arrested never occurred to him before. He felt relieved again that it had not happened to him.

"Are you insinuating that your actions did not appear 'that bad' because there were no serious repercussions that took place after the incident?" Raditch shook his head in disbelief. He was disappointed in Sean's attitude. How could he show no remorse for what he did? How could he be so disrespectful? "You know I can have you expelled from this school," he threatened.

Sean didn't even flinch at the remark. He leaned forward. "And what about the kids that vandalized Devon's locker? Can you have THEM expelled, too?"

Raditch took off his glasses to rub his eyes tiredly. "Unfortunately, we could not identify the vandalists."

Sean smirked. He knew that with Devon already kicked out of Degrassi, Raditch wasn't even going to try to find the people who vandalized Devon's locker. "And what about the people who started the rumors? What are you going to do about them?"

Raditch slipped his glasses back on his face and nodded. "Yes. I spoke with Miss Michelcheuk, Miss Oden, and Miss Sinclair yesterday about the matter."

Sean waited for a few more seconds to see if Raditch had anything else to add to his last statement. He wasn't surprised when Raditch didn't add anything else. He smirked again. "So...what did you do? Expel them? Or slap them on the wrist and send them on their way?" He leaned back in his chair with a smug look on his face. He already knew the answer to his questions.

Raditch retained the stern expression on his face. "Mr. Cameron, I dealt with the matter. As far as I'm concerned, that is all you need to know."

"So...pretty much just a slap on the wrist, right?" Sean muttered under his breath. "Whatever." He rolled his eyes. "I don't have to listen to this." He stood up. "I'm outta here."

"Mr. Cameron!" Raditch raised his voice. "SIT DOWN!"

Sean shook his head and crossed his arms in front of him as he remained standing.

Raditch's cheeks began to get warm. Sean was definitely testing his patience. "You will serve detention everyday for the next three weeks. As for the basketball team? Consider yourself officially off the roster for this season." He pointed at the door. "Now, you're dismissed."

"Whatever," Sean muttered again. He walked up to the door and opened it, but stopped. He turned back around. "By the way...how many weeks of detention are Paige, Hazel, and Heather going to serve?"

Raditch used up every ounce of energy to keep from raising his voice again. "Like I said before, Mr. Cameron, that matter was dealt with."

Sean continued. "And if I'M kicked off the basketball team...are Paige and Hazel being kicked off the Spirit Squad?"

Raditch remained silent.

Sean took the silence as a "no". "I didn't think so..." He slammed the door behind him.

xxx

"You okay?"

Sean looked up from the lunch table and saw Craig standing over him. "I'm fine."

Craig took a seat next to him. "I heard about what happened with Jay yesterday."

Sean nodded as he took a bite of his sandwich. "Yeah. You and everyone else in this school."

"Why did you do that, Sean? What were you trying to do? Kill him?" Craig stopped himself. Was "kill" the most appropriate word to use?

"Look," Sean explained, "he said something about Devon that was completely out of line. I was already pissed off about what happened to Devon's locker and about the rumors going around. Jay's comment just made me...snap."

Craig looked around, then lowered his voice. "Speaking of Devon...Emma told me that you two..." He paused before finishing. "...slept together."

Sean sighed. "It's not true."

"She said that you were half naked and that Devon was wearing your shirt."

"YES, Devon spent the night, but we didn't sleep together." Sean put down his sandwich. He was getting annoyed again. "She showed up on my doorstep the night before."

Craig remembered Sean telling him that the last time Devon showed up on his doorstep, she was badly beaten by her mother's boyfriend. "Is she alright?" he asked concerned.

"She's fine...but if she DIDN'T show up that night...I don't know what would have happened..." Sean stopped himself. He threw the rest of his lunch in his small brown paper bag, then stood up. "Look, that's all I can tell you." He promised Devon he wouldn't tell ANYONE what happened to her that night. "I've already said too much."

Craig respected Devon's privacy and chose not to ask anything else. "Just let me know if you or Devon need anything, alright?" he asked as he watched Sean walk off.

Sean walked out of the cafeteria. He was halfway down the hall when he heard someone call out his name.

"Hey, Cameron!"

Sean turned around.

Jimmy Brooks was barging towards him.

Sean slid his bookbag off his shoulder and held his arms out to his sides.

Jimmy walked up to him and shook his head. "So, what? You gonna fight me, too?"

Sean shrugged. "That's up to you."

"What's up with you, man? After all the stuff we've been through, I figured that we finally found a way to be friends." He took another step closer to Sean. He tapped his index finger on Sean's chest. "But, when you start disrespecting my girl...that's disrespecting me and our friendship."

Sean shook his head. "Your girl is half the reason why my best friend was chased out of this school."

Jimmy huffed. "You call that girl your best friend?" He crossed his arms. "Let me tell you what I've noticed, Sean. Ever since that 'friend' of yours came to Degrassi, you've been in detention, you've been kicked off the basketball team, you've destroyed Kwan's room, you've hurt Emma, and you've nearly killed one of your good friends!" He shook his head disappointedly. "That girl is nothing but bad news. Look what she's done to you! Your life was getting better, until she came along."

Sean leaned over to pick up his bookbag. He was about to brush off everything he just heard and walk away, but stopped. "Your girl's Somalian, right?"

Jimmy defensively crossed his arms in front of him. "What are you getting at?"

Sean slipped his bookbag strap over his shoulder. "What would you do if the word 'Terrorist' was spray-painted on her locker? What would you do if people whispered about her every time she walked by?" He cocked his head to the side. "What would you do if people believed Hazel was attending this school in hopes of eventually blowing it up because she was a supposed 'terrorist'?"

Jimmy shook his head. "She's NOT a terrorist."

"But what if people THOUGHT she was because she's a Somalian?"

Jimmy shook his head again. "Those would just be lies."

Sean watched Jimmy bubbling up inside. He knew that Jimmy was not pleased with a possibility of rumors flying around about his girlfriend. "You would be angry, right? Because none of those things are true about her. You would be furious, because she doesn't deserve that kind of torture." He took a step closer to Jimmy. "And what if I walked up to you and said that Hazel doesn't belong in Degrassi, because she should be shipped back to Somalia where her 'type' belongs?" He shrugged. "What would you do?"

Jimmy clenched his jaw and pounded his fist in his opposite palm.

Sean nodded. "Exactly." He took a step back. "I didn't disrespect you OR your girl. I did exactly what YOU would do if you had to protect someone you cared about."

Jimmy sighed. "Look, man. Stop acting like everybody's against you. We're just trying to be your friends. We want you to see what Devon is putting you through. A real friend wouldn't put you in this situation."

Sean shook his head. "No. My REAL friends would trust me." He turned and walked away.

"Keep turning your back on us, Sean!" Jimmy screamed at the back of Sean's head. "Pretty soon, you won't have anyone left to stand behind you!"

xxx

Emma tapped her feet on the concrete step beneath her. It was now after school, and she's been waiting for Sean for a while.

Sean pushed open the front doors of the school and was making his way down the front steps. He noticed Emma standing at the bottom of the steps, but decided to ignore her and keep on walking.

Emma saw Sean walk past her. "Sean! Wait!" She started to follow behind him.

"Not now, Emma," Sean answered back, still walking. He just finished serving his first session of detention of his three weeks. He was ready to go home.

"Sean!" Emma called out again. She stopped walking. "I'm ready to talk."

Sean stopped and turned around.

Emma took a few steps towards him. "Do you have a minute?"

Sean nodded.

Emma took a deep breath. There was no other way for her to say this gently, so she just came out and said what was on her mind. "I'm worried about you."

Sean shook his head disappointedly. "I just got this lecture from Jimmy."

"Sean, I care about you!" Emma exclaimed. "I..." She bit her lip before finishing. "I want to be with you."

Sean's eyes softened. "You do?"

Emma continued. "But, in order for you to be with me...you have to do something for me first."

Sean became hopeful. "Anything"

"I'll be with you..." Emma hesitated. "...if you walk away from Devon."

Sean's eyes began to tear up. How could she ask that from him? What was she trying to do here?

Emma took another step closer. "I'm scared for you, Sean," she replied gently. "I think that you're throwing your life away to protect Devon, but is she really worth it? Is she worth fighting your other friends? Is she worth having Raditch on your back all the time?" She touched Sean's arm. "Is she worth losing me?"

Sean couldn't believe he was being put in this situation. He didn't like being pressured into choosing between two of the most important people in his life: Emma and Devon. "Emma...when your father was sick...I never asked you to give him up to be with me. All I wanted was to spend more time with you."

"What does my father have to do with this?"

Sean pushed Emma's hand away. "I would never ask you to turn your back on your family for me."

Emma shook her head. "Devon's not family!"

"Yes, she is! Why can't you understand that?" he asked desperately. He remembered his promise to Devon's grandmother. "I can't turn my back on her when she needs me." He had already done that, and Devon was left to live on her own for months.

Emma's eyes began to water. "So, you don't want to be with me?"

Sean shook his head. "Emma, I want to be with you more than anything," he replied back gently. He leaned closer to her to cup his hands around her face.

Emma pushed him away. "No, you don't."

"Emma, don't do this to me." His heart began to ache. "Don't make me choose..."

Emma took a few steps back. "It's pretty clear that you made your decision," she replied sadly as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Sean stopped her. "Why are you doing this to me?"

Emma shook her head. "What about what you're doing to ME? I can't be with you and watch you run to her every time she's in trouble! I can't be with you and watch you be destructive with your life!" More tears streamed down her face. "I don't think I can put my heart through that!"

Sean looked down at the ground, then back at Emma. "Then...maybe you're NOT ready to be with me."

Sean's last statement rang in her head, and she realized that he was right. "I guess not," Emma admitted.

Sean sighed. "Look...I've got a lot of stuff going on with me right now. I need time to work this all out."

"Then, do what you gotta do," Emma whispered back. "But I can't promise that I'll still be here waiting for you."

"That's okay." Sean gave her a small, reassuring smile. "Because I will always wait for you."

xxx

Devon watched the laughing kids run across the park to the playground. She dangled her feet underneath her as she sat on one of the swings.

"Is this swing taken?" a voice asked.

Devon looked up and watched Sean take a swing next to her. "You here to say good-bye?"

Sean kicked his feet back to lightly swing back and forth. "Nope." He looked back at her. "I'm here to ask you to stay."

Devon rested her head against one of the linked chains that held her swing up. "Sean, I can't. It's better that I go."

Sean stopped swinging for a moment. "Dev...you told me that you were ecstatic when you found out that you were transferring to Degrassi. Do you remember why?"

Devon nodded. "I was happy that I was AWAY from Wasaga. I was happy that I was going to have a roof over my head and not wonder when my next meal was." She smiled. "I was happy that I was going to see my best friend and hang out like a normal teenager for once."

"Do you realize that you're going to lose all of that if you run away?"

Devon laughed haughtily. "Hell, I'm going to lose all that in two weeks when I'm shipped to that shelter in BC."

Sean swiveled in his swing to face her. "Then, take advantage of these two weeks! Have a roof over your head. Have three meals every day without worrying about salvaging for food! BE a normal teenager!" He shrugged. "Hang out with your best friend!" In the back of his mind, he had an ulterior motive. He was hoping to use the next two weeks to find a way to convince Devon to not run away and to give the shelter a chance.

Devon drew circles on the sand with her shoe while she contemplated. "Your life is all screwed up because of me! And you still want me to stay?"

Sean laughed lightly. "Look...I'm not on the basketball team anymore, so I've got a lot of free time. None of my friends are speaking to me. Emma doesn't want to be with me." He sighed. "Honestly? I could use the company the next two weeks!" He smiled reassuringly. "Besides...I've got next year for basketball, and I've got the rest of the term to make up with my friends and Emma." He looked at Devon hopefully. "But I'm only going to have two weeks with my best friend." He realized that if Devon ran away, he would never see her or hear from her again. He needed to cherish the time he had left with her NOW, before she completely walks out of his life for good.

Devon looked at Sean and nervously bit her lip. She realized that she had an ulterior motive of her own. "Fine," she replied. "I'll stay." She just gave herself two weeks to put Sean's life back together. Of all the things she was putting him through...she at least owed him THAT.


	32. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Devon nervously walked up the steps of the school with an empty cardboard box in her hand. School just let out, and she was hoping to pack up her things from her locker while no one was around.

She stopped when she saw her locker. The faded remains of the word "WHORE" stared back at her.

"The janitor tried to wash off as much as he could," a voice replied behind her. "Who would have thought that spray paint would be THAT hard to clean off?"

Devon turned around and was surprised when she realized who was standing behind her. "...Manny?"

Manny gave an awkward grin.

Devon sighed and walked up to her locker. "I'm just here to pick up my things, so don't go running to your friends to tell them that I'm back."

Manny shook her head. "Look, what Paige and Hazel did was really mean—" She jumped back slightly when Devon slammed open her locker. She continued. "Just because they're my friends, doesn't necessarily mean that I always agree with them."

Devon scooped the contents of her locker quickly into her cardboard box. She rolled her eyes with her back turned to Manny. "Uh...yeah, whatever."

Manny stood there awkwardly for a moment. She knew not to expect a warm welcoming from Devon, considering what she has been through. She dug her hands in her back pockets. "I just wanted to say...I'm really sorry about what happened to you the past few days." She nervously crossed one foot over the other and looked towards the ground. "I mean... I don't know what you've done in your past..." She shrugged. "I don't even know if any of those rumors are even true..." She looked up at Devon. "But either way...you didn't deserve that."

Devon paused in front of her locker. Of all things, that was the LAST thing she would ever hear Manny say to her. She tucked the box under one arm and closed her locker shut. She turned around and looked at Manny skeptically. "Are you...making fun of me?"

Manny sighed and shook her head. "Let's just say, that I understand how you feel." She looked at Devon's locker. "To have people whispering and talking about you like you have the plague..." She shamefully looked towards the ground again. "...To be known as the school slut..." Manny was judged for MONTHS when people found out she was pregnant with Craig's baby. In fact, there were probably a handful of students that STILL talked about her. She looked up. "So...for what it's worth...I'm sorry."

Devon gave a surprised smile. Oddly enough...she actually felt a little better. "...Thanks," she whispered.

Manny smiled back shyly, gave a little wave, and walked off.

xxx

"Emma will kill me if she found out I was talking to you."

Sean looked up from his computer in the MI lab and saw Toby standing over him. He shook his head. "Well...if she finds out that you were helping me out..." He scanned through his brain to think of a reasonable excuse. He grinned. "Tell her that it was strictly for business."

Toby rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He sat down next to Sean. Sean had asked him for a favor last week—way before any of this 'Devon' drama started. Toby felt obligated, as Emma's friend, to try to interact as little as possible with Sean. He almost felt like he was betraying Emma by helping Sean out. "So...do you have the money?"

"Shhhh!!" Sean hissed as he placed his index finger over his mouth. He nodded his head towards the front of the room. "Mr. Simpson's still here," he whispered.

Mr. Simpson looked up from his desk. He looked at the clock on the wall. "Boys, I'm shutting down the computers in two minutes. Just do what you need to get done and go."

Toby and Sean nodded.

Toby leaned towards Sean. "So..." he whispered. "Do you have the money?"

Sean glanced over towards Mr. Simpson to make sure he was occupied with something else. He pulled out twenty-five dollars from his pocket and handed it to Toby under the table.

Toby counted the money secretly. He reached in his book bag, pulled out an envelope, and handed it to Sean. "I don't know what you plan on doing with these...but try not to get into too much trouble."

"Sweet!" Sean whispered excitedly as he gripped the envelope.

Toby got up and walked out.

Sean closed off the program he was running on the computer and started to gather his things.

"Sean!" Mr. Simpson called out.

Sean's eyes widened slightly. Did Mr. Simpson know what he was up to? He nervously cleared his throat. "Uh...yeah, Mr. Simpson?"

"Can I see you for a sec?"

Sean picked up his book bag and nervously walked up to Mr. Simpson's desk.

Simpson looked up. "I understand that Devon will not be staying here for the rest of the term..." He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a jacket. "She left this in class the other day." He smiled. "Do you mind giving this to her the next time you see her?"

Sean secretly let out a huge sigh of relief. He took the jacket from Mr. Simpson. "Sure. No problem."

As he walked out of the MI lab, he stopped in the middle of the hallway to stuff Devon's jacket into his book bag. As he squeezed the jacket into his bag, he noticed something slip out of one of its pockets. He knelt down to pick it up. He recognized that it was Devon's letter that she received from the Montreal School of Music a last week. Devon refused to open it in front of him and claimed that the school was mailing her brochures. Sean flipped the envelope over to look at the seal. It was opened.

Sean remained crouched down for a moment as he stared at the opened letter and contemplated on reading it. He looked around guiltily to see if anyone was nearby. He glanced at the letter again.

He couldn't resist. He quickly pulled the letter out and scanned it.

xxx

Devon heard some shuffling around in the gym and decided to peek in and see what was going on. She opened the door wider and stepped inside. "Hey, Craig!"

Craig looked up from his guitar amp. "Hey, Devon!" he called back. He plugged in his guitar.

Devon looked around and noticed Craig's band equipment set up on one side of the gym. "Where is the rest of your band?"

Craig walked up to a microphone and tapped it lightly. "Jimmy and Spinner are outside for basketball practice. Coach Armstrong knew our band was practicing in the gym today, so he let the basketball team practice on the courts outside." He walked over to the piano and grabbed his camera that was set on top of it. "I'm actually meeting up with Marco and Ash right now. They want the student council yearbook picture to be next to the school sign." He held up his camera. "I'm taking yearbook pictures this week, remember?"

Devon nodded.

"Well...I gotta go," Craig replied. He looked back at Devon. "Are you...doing alright?" he asked concerned.

Devon nodded again. "Yes, I am." She smiled. "Thanks for asking."

"Good." He was about to walk past Devon, but stopped and looked at the unattended band equipment. "Do you--?" He pointed at the equipment with his thumb. "Do you mind watching this stuff until I get back? I PROMISE that this picture will only take a minute..." He paused to correct himself. "Five minutes TOPS."

Devon shrugged. "Sure, I guess." She walked over to the equipment. "I was supposed to meet up with Sean in a few minutes, anyway."

Devon waited until she heard Craig's footsteps running halfway down the hall before looking around. Her eyes drifted towards the piano. She looked around to see if anyone was nearby and slid out the piano bench to sit down. She lightly hit a few random chords.

"Hey!" a voice called out.

Deovn looked up and saw Sean's head poking in the gym.

He walked inside. "There you are!" He looked at the band equipment surrounding Devon. "What are you doing?"

Devon quickly took her hands off the keyboard. "Craig had to take a few pictures outside for yearbook. He asked me to watch his stuff until he gets back."

Sean set his book bag on the gym floor, then took a seat next to Devon on the piano bench.

Devon raised an eyebrow. "Do you remember how to play?"

Sean smirked. "Dev, I HARDLY call it 'playing'..." He looked down at the row of black and white keys. "You and I both know that I barely even know ONE song."

Devon held her hands out towards the piano. "Please." She smiled broadly. "Demonstrate for me."

Sean held up his index finger, then hit one of the keys. Then, he started to play the melody to "Heart and Soul", hitting each key with his one index finger.

Devon couldn't help but laugh to herself. That was the one and ONLY song Sean knew how to play on the piano. She placed her hands on the keys and played the "rhythm" part of the song. She struggled to stay in sync with Sean's awkward playing.

When they finished the song, Sean burst out laughing. "That was the most pathetic thing I have ever heard in my life!"

Devon laughed along side him. She pointed at the keys again. "Let's try it again."

They took a second try at it, but this time, they ran through the song a lot smoother.

"See!" Devon replied cheerfully. "You're getting the hang of it again!"

They played it a third time, but this time, Sean decided to "jazz up" the melody. He hit each key playfully, still hitting each note with his lonely index finger.

"There you go!" Devon encouraged.

They decided to play the song one final time, with Sean keeping his "jazzy" melody. This time, Devon added a jazzy, intricate rhythm part to the song and made their "simple" duet into a complicated masterpiece.

When they finished the song, they both burst out laughing. Sean started clapping. "That was AWESOME! You rock, Dev!"

Devon shook her head. "No," she replied through her laughter. "we BOTH rocked!"

They both quickly looked up when they heard clicking in the background. Craig was taking pictures of the two of them. He put his camera down. "I had a few pictures left in this roll. Hope you guys didn't mind."

Sean shook his head. "Not at all, man." He quickly stood up. "I guess Dev and I better get outta here before the rest of your band members show up." He didn't want to run into Jimmy again. It would be too uncomfortable.

Craig held his hands up. "What?" he asked jokingly. "You guys didn't want to jam with us?"

Devon laughed. "Not unless you guys want to practice 'Heart and Soul' for two hours!" She picked up her box and started to follow Sean out of the gym.

"Hey, Devon?" Craig called out.

Devon turned around.

"That stuff you played just now?" He smiled. "Sean's right. You totally rock!"

"What are your plans tonight?" Sean asked as the two of them walked out the front doors of the school.

Devon shrugged. "Not sure yet." She looked at Sean curiously. "Why?"

Sean took out the envelope Toby handed him earlier and pulled out two items.

Devon looked over Sean's shoulder to see what he was showing her. She reached over and grabbed one of the items. She looked at him. "Sean...these are fake ID's!"

Sean nodded. "Yeah! Cool, huh? Toby made one for each of us!"

Devon stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and crossed her arms. "Sean Cameron, what the hell are you up to?"

Sean grinned mischeviously. "We're going to have fun tonight!" he answered back. He held up the two ID's. "And we're going to need these..."

xxx

Devon looked up at the sign. "Cat Daddy's?"

Sean nodded proudly as he pulled Devon into the line in front of the bar.

Devon pulled out her ID and looked at her cheezy picture in front of it. She read her name. "Divine...Simone?" She rolled her eyes. She leaned over Sean and grabbed his ID from his hand. She read the name printed on the card. "John Stammeron?" She threw a sour face at her friend. "Could you at least have thought of more...CREATIVE names than those?"

Sean grabbed the ID back from Devon. "Try not to be so obvious that we've got fake ID's," he mumbled in a low voice.

The doorman took their ID's, flashed his light on the ID's, then flashed the light in Devon and Sean's faces. He curiously glanced at their ID's again.

Sean and Devon stood there nervously for what seemed like forever.

The doorman nodded his head. "Go on through."

The two of them let out a sigh of relief and took the first empty table they saw.

Devon looked up at the stage and noticed that the band's equipment was set up and ready to go, but no one was on stage. "Who's playing tonight?"

Sean grinned. "There isn't a band playing tonight..."

Devon looked at him curiously, then looked around. Her eyes widened when she read the banner over the bar that stated: "Tonight! Open Mic Night!" She looked back at Sean, who was now grinning from ear to ear. "You didn't..."

Sean looked at her innocently. "Didn't...what?"

The manager walked up on stage and tapped the microphone a few times in front of him. He held up the clipboard that was in his hand. "Just remember—if you want to play tonight, your name better be ON THIS LIST," he announced. "So, SIGN UP!!!"

Devon quickly gripped Sean's shirt. "You get up—you DIE!" she replied through her gritted teeth. She wasn't going to let Sean out of her sight. The more she had her eye on him tonight, the least likely he would be able to add her name to that list.

After a few minutes, the manager went up on stage again. "Alright! Let's get started!" He started to call random names up to the stage, and Devon watched two guitarists, a drummer, and a saxophone player walk up. The musicians walked around stage and shook hands with each other. It was obvious that none of them knew each other.

"So, how does this work?" Sean asked over the mumbling crowd.

"You get randomly picked to play up there, with people you've probably never played with before," Devon answered back. "Then, you guys just pick a key...and just JAM together! It's awesome! It's all improvising! You're going to love this!"

The manager watched the musicians set up. He held up his clipboard again. "Wait a minute, folks! We need a keyboard player up here!" He skimmed through his list one more time. He looked up and squinted his eyes to look around the crowd. "Is there a Divine Simone in the house tonight?"

Devon's eyes widened to the size of saucers. She glared back at Sean. "How did you do that?" Sean was in her sight all night.

Sean reached back to rest his hands behind his head. "I called here earlier this evening and asked if they would put you on the list."

Devon glared at him again, but Sean just smiled back calmly.

"Dev, just go up there! You did this kind of thing all summer! What's the big deal?"

The manager cleared his throat. "Is there a Divine Simone?" he asked again.

Sean started to clap slowly. He called out each syllable to Devon's name as he clapped. "Di—vine, Di—vine!"

Pretty soon, the rest of the crowd started to chant and clap. "Di—vine, Di—vine...!!"

Devon tried to cover her hands with her face.

Sean stood up and pulled Devon out of her chair.

The manager spotted someone stand up in the crowd. He pointed at Devon. "Is that you, Divine?" He motioned towards the stage. "Come on up here!"

"Di—vine! Di—vine!"

Devon faked a smile for the crowd, then turned over to look back at Sean. "Laugh it up now, Sean!" She raised an eyebrow. "I'll get you back!" She walked away from the table. "Very soon!"

Sean quickly wiped the smile off his face. What did she mean by that?

Devon took a seat behind the already set-up keyboard.

A guitarist walked up to her. "We're going to start off in the key of A minor. Watch me for the changes."

Devon nervously nodded. She looked around at the half-empty bar.

Sean nodded his head to the beat as the band started playing. He raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms. He was impressed. They all sounded good up there and Devon looked completely relaxed.

After 10 minutes, the improvising band was finishing up their third song. Sean looked around and saw that the bar had completely filled up and everyone was either clapping, tapping their feet, or dancing to the music. Devon was out of her seat and on her feet as she jammed with the rest of the band. She was bobbing her head to the beat as she played her final solo. It was obvious that she was having a great time. When the band finished, the crowd roared excitedly.

"Woo-hooooo!" Sean hooted loudly.

Devon smiled broadly on stage as she took a bow.

Devon spoke briefly with the bar manager before walking off stage. She quickly walked up to Sean and punched him in the shoulder. "I can't believe you did that to me!"

"Dev, you were awesome!" Sean screamed over the crowd. "Everyone LOVED you! You should be THANKING me!"

Devon grinned devilishly. "I'll thank you as soon as—"

She was interrupted by the manager on stage. "Alright, folks! Let's get this night rollin' with another group!" He started to read random names off the list a second time. As the selected musicians walked up, the manager added one more thing before exiting off the stage. "And this was a last minute request!"

Devon and Sean looked up towards the stage.

"Is there a...John Stammeron in the house tonight?"

Sean's jaw dropped. He quickly looked over at Devon.

Devon grinned again. "It's pay back time!"

"But I don't PLAY anything!" Sean exclaimed as Devon pushed him towards the stage.

Devon gave one more push, and Sean stumbled up the steps to the stage. She quickly grabbed a tambourine that was next to one of the microphones. "Here!" She handed it to Sean. "Play this!"

Sean stood up and looked out into the crowd. The bar was jammed packed. He just stood there and completely froze. Before he could try to talk his way off stage, the band started playing.

Devon stood at the edge of the stage. "Let's go, John!!" she yelled as she clapped.

Sean lightly tapped the tambourine a few times. His tapping was completely off beat from the rest of the band.

"Oh my god!" One lady in the back of the bar screamed. She pointed at Sean. "What the hell is that guy doing??" She yelled at the top of her lungs. "Get him off stage!!"

You heard random "boo's" coming from the crowd.

Sean's face started to turn red.

Devon started laughing. She couldn't resist. "You suck, Stammeron!!"

Sean threw a dirty look at Devon. She wasn't making his situation any better.

Devon kept Sean's attention and started to clap a fun, jazzy beat.

Sean watched Devon carefully and realized that she was trying to help him. He caught on to her rhythm and started to follow her with the tambourine.

"Alright!" One of the guitarists remarked. "There you go!"

Pretty soon, the crowd forgot about Sean's lame first attempt and started to enjoy the music from the band. By the end of their final song, Sean was getting the hang of it. He was bobbing his head and dancing on stage with his tambourine companion.

"Yeeeeeeaaaaah!!" The same lady from the back of the bar called out. "PLAY that tambourine, kid!!"

Devon heard the lady and shook her head as she laughed.

The crowd cheered uncontrollably when the band completed their set. Sean surprisingly felt a sudden rush when he realized that the crowd was cheering and clapping for him. He walked off the stage with a huge sigh of relief. He walked up to Devon. "I can't believe you did that to me!"

They wiggled their way through the crowd. Sean looked over at Devon. "Ready to go?"

They both walked out the bar.

"Hey!" a voice yelled behind them.

They turned around and saw the manager standing in front of the entrance. "You two not going to buy a beer before leaving?"

Sean shook his head. "No, sir. We were just here for the music."

The manager smiled. "Good answer." He walked up to them. "Because my doorman informed me that you two had fake ID's. I was going to call the cops the second you guys bought a beer."

Devon and Sean glanced at each other guiltily.

"Don't worry about it," the manager assured them. "You guys didn't do anything wrong."

"We won't sneak in again," Devon added quickly. "We promise."

The manager couldn't help but laugh. "Don't worry, I know you won't!" He rested a hand on Devon's shoulder. "You won't have to sneak in because you're INVITED to come back whenever you want."

Sean was surprised. "...Really?"

The manager looked at Devon. "You're a hell of a piano player, kid." He pointed at his jammed packed bar. "People walking around in the street heard your playing and came into my bar to check it out!" He patted her shoulder. "YOU brought that crowd in there!" He smiled at her. "You're always welcomed to play whenever you want!" He suddenly turned serious. "But ONLY to play! NOT to drink!"

Sean and Devon nodded. "Yes, sir."

The manager nodded. "Alright. You kids have a good night!" He looked over at Sean. "And YOU!"

Sean looked at him nervously.

The manager laughed again. "Good job on the tambourine!"

Sean and Devon continued their walk back to Sean's apartment.

Devon laughed and shoved Sean. "Yeah...good job on the tambourine, STAMMERON!"

Sean shook his head. "Shut up, DIVINE." He calmed down and looked back at her seriously. "Dev, you're an AWESOME musician!" He shook his head. "I knew you were good...but I had NO idea you were THAT good!"

Devon just shrugged.

"So...why aren't you going to that music school in Montreal?"

Devon stopped walking and looked at Sean. "What are you talking about?"

Sean shamefully looked towards the ground. "You left your jacket in the MI lab and Mr. Simpson gave it to me to give back to you." He hesitated. "I found that acceptance letter in your jacket pocket."

"I can't believe you read it!"

Sean threw his hands up in the air. "Who CARES if I read it!? All that matters is that you were accepted, and you're acting as if it's not a big deal!"

Devon looked at him desperately. "Look—I REALLY had a GREAT time tonight! I haven't had that much fun in a long time."

Sean gave a small smile. "Me, too."

"So...PLEASE don't ruin it," Devon pleaded. "Let's not talk about that Montreal school right now."

Sean gave in. "Fine," he agreed. He remained quiet. He decided to let Devon enjoy the rest of her night. However...he knew that this discussion was FAR from being over.


	33. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Devon lightly jogged up the steps of Mrs. Hoffman's front porch and opened the front door. She just worked a double shift at The Dot and she was exhausted. She was also starving. She had the option to grab some food from work, but decided to wait until coming home to eat. She loved Mrs. Hoffman's cooking. As she closed the door behind her, she stopped and sniffed. She suddenly became disappointed. She didn't smell anything cooking.

She walked into the kitchen and saw Mrs. Hoffman slip her purse strap over her shoulder and grab her car keys on the kitchen table.

Mrs. Hoffman smiled warmly at her. "Hi, dear."

Devon silently waved and slipped her hands into her back pockets. "Are you going somewhere?" What she really meant to ask was: 'If you're going somewhere…is there anything waiting in the refrigerator for me?'

Mrs. Hoffman nodded. "I had plans this evening to have dinner with an old friend." She looked up at Devon when she heard Devon's stomach growl across the kitchen.

Devon tried her best not to sound disappointed, but it was just too obvious. She was starving. "Don't worry…I'll find something to eat…" 

Mrs. Hoffman tried her best not to smile too broadly. "I didn't cook dinner because…from what I understood…I thought you already had plans this evening."

Devon bit into a carrot stick she pulled out of the refrigerator. She was confused. "What are you talking about?" she muttered between her chomps.

Mrs. Hoffman pointed out the back window of the kitchen.

Devon looked up and saw a tent pitched in the middle of Mrs. Hoffman's backyard. Sean was sitting in front of it getting a campfire started.

A half hour later, she was sitting next to Sean, heating up her third s'more over the fire.

Sean laughed as he took a bite out his mildly burnt hot dog. "I see that you're eating dessert." He shrugged. "Were you ever planning on eating an actual MEAL?"

Devon wiped a drop of melted chocolate from her chin. "You and I both know that there's no such thing as an 'actual meal' when is comes to camping," she answered back sarcastically. "Besides…" she pointed at Sean's half eaten hot dog weiner. "With that being your fifth hot dog, I figured there was nothing left for me to eat BUT these s'mores!"

They both chuckled as they continued to hold their food out into the fire.

Devon looked over at Sean gratefully. "Thanks for doing this." She gave a half smile. "It's been a while since I've been camping."

Sean shrugged casually. "Actually, I OWE you a camping trip. We used to go camping at least once every summer since I moved here from Wasaga Beach." He paused and looked shamefully towards the ground. "Well…every summer but this PAST summer…"

Devon looked distantly into the fire. "Do you remember the things we used to talk about?" They would stay up all night sitting by the campfire, talking about their hopes, dreams, and fears while snacking on hot dogs and s'mores.

An hour later, they were both laughing in the grass high on sugar and caffeine. They had spent the last hour talking about the crazy things the two of them did together when they were growing up.

Devon sat up straighter and took a deep breath. "Okay, let's talk about serious things now," she replied in a half serious, half playful tone.

Sean rolled on to his stomach as he opened a bag of chips. "Like what?"

"Top five best decisions you've ever made?"

Sean tossed a chip in his mouth and looked up towards the sky to think. "Hmmm…dating Ellie…dating Emma…fixing up Simpson's car to make up for stealing his laptop…being more involved in school…and the best decision I ever made was leaving Wasaga Beach to move to Toronto."

Devon nodded. "Those are definitely some good decisions."

Sean nodded at Devon. "What about you?"

"Well…investing in money to get a motorcycle…learning how to play the piano…staying here in Toronto for a few weeks to hang with you…surviving on my own on the streets…and…" She looked over at Sean.

Sean quit chomping on a potato chip. He was waiting for her final comment.

Devon shrugged. "I guess, the best decision I made was letting you go…to come to Toronto," she replied playfully. She was hoping her playful tone would hide the seriousness she actually felt. That was probably the hardest thing she ever had to do in her life, letting go of her best friend. She knew that if she asked him to stay, he would have done it without a second thought, but she knew it was the best thing for him to leave.

She quickly brushed out of her thoughts and changed the subject. "Okay. Top five biggest regrets?"

Sean lightly laughed to himself. That subject was easy. "Let's see…breaking up with Emma…" He paused and looked up at Devon. "The first AND second time, so that counts as TWO things."

Devon nodded to approve. "Okay. Go on."

"Uh…stealing Mr. Simpson's laptop…deafening Tyler Bishop in one ear…and the number one biggest regret?" He looked over at Devon seriously. "Not being there for you this summer when you needed me the most." He popped another potato chip in his mouth. "How 'bout you?"

"My biggest regrets?" Devon held out her fingers to count one by one. She pressed on her index finger. "Taking too long to accept the fact that my mother was a loser drug addict." She pressed on her middle finger. "Finding my biological father and actually HOPING that he would love me." She held up her ring finger. "Trying to commit suicide…" She also held up her pinky finger. "Trying to hide my secret from you…" She stared at her thumb. "And the biggest regret of my life?" She paused.

Sean looked at Devon. He knew exactly what she was going to say. "Turning down the opportunity to go to that school of the arts in Montreal?"

Devon quickly looked up at Sean. She still couldn't get over the fact that Sean read her mail. "It's complicated, Sean," she muttered.

"No, it's not," Sean quickly disagreed. "I don't get it, Dev. You apply to a school you want to go to…you get accepted…then, you ATTEND the school you want to go to." Everything sounded so obvious. What was so complicated?

"Look…I only applied because I was curious. I just wanted to see if I was good enough to be accepted to that school. I wasn't planning on actually…GOING."

"Why not?"

"It's just…complicated, alright?"

Sean decided to avoid this subject once before, but he wasn't going to do it again. "Dev, come on. What's the big deal? If I was accepted to be an apprentice for one of the best mechanics in the world, I would do it!" He held his hands up in disbelief. "You were accepted to one of the best music schools in the world! What's stopping you from going?"

Devon sighed miserably. There was no way for her to avoid this. "Do you promise not to laugh at me? No matter HOW stupid it might sound?"

Sean frowned and cocked his head to the side. Did she really have to ask that? "Dev…what do YOU think?" he asked reassuringly.

Devon sat up and tucked her legs underneath her. "I don't have much of anything left in my life. I don't have a family…I don't have a home…I don't even have my motorcycle anymore! All I have left is my pride." She took a deep breath to prevent her eyes from watering. "The ONLY thing I'm proud of is my ability to play. If I go to this school…I'm going to be surrounded by kids who've been professionally trained to play classical music their entire lives! My only background is playing heart and soul with my best friend and entertaining drunk people in bars." For the first time in her life, Devon was admitting to him that she was ashamed of who she was.

Sean shrugged. "Who cares if other kids were classically trained their whole life?" He placed his half-empty bag of potato chips on the ground to look up at his friend. "Dev, you've been ridiculed by the kids at your school in Wasaga and even people in Degrassi and you've always stood up for yourself. This school isn't going to be any different! You've got to fight for who you are and what you can do! Show them how talented you are!"

Devon shook her head to disagree. "Sean, in Wasaga Beach and in Degrassi, I was being criticized for things that weren't true. I'm NOT a drug addict and I'm not a prostitute. But when I go to Montreal, I'm going to be criticized about legit things…like my talent. I'm going to be torn into shreds. I'm going to be under the microscope of my teachers and be critiqued until there's nothing left of me!" Her eyes started to glisten. "And that's something I know I won't be able to handle."

Sean sighed sympathetically. He had never seen his friend doubt herself so much before.

They both sat quietly for a moment. Both of them were trying their hardest to find something to talk about to fill in the awkward gap.

Then, out of no where, Sean spoke up quietly. "What's your biggest dream?"

Devon looked up questionably. "What?"

"What is your biggest dream?" he asked again.

Devon looked up to think about that question. She smiled. "I guess to own a jazz club one day and have the opportunity to play for a packed house every night."

Sean laughed lightly, then shook his head. "No, that's just a DREAM. What's your BIGGEST dream?"

Devon just stared at him. She had no idea where he was getting at.

Sean smiled and leaned back on his elbows. "You see, I have a dream to one day own my own garage and fix cars all day," he replied casually. "BUT, my BIGGEST dream? It's really to own one of the most prestegious motorcycle shops EVER. My crew will consist of the most talented and creative guys hand- picked from around the world. My clientele will be nothing but famous people or top-notch elite BEGGING me to build them a custom motorcycle. I'll have people drooling over a motorcycle cruising down the street with MY name stamped on it." He grinned proudly at the image playing in his head. He stepped away from his mini-fantasy to ask his question again. "So…what's your biggest dream?" He looked over at Devon.

Devon raised an eyebrow and smiled to herself. She leaned back and rested her hands behind her. "I see myself playing on one of the most largest and elaborate grand pianos, more than likely played by some of the most talented pianists in the world. I'm wearing a fancy dress and playing my heart out, while people are hanging on to every note I play."

Sean watched Devon's eyes suddenly spark into life as she spoke.

Devon began to smile even more broadly. "Then, when I finish, I hear a huge roar come from the audience. I stand up from the piano bench to take a bow, and when I look up, I'll see a packed amphitheater of women dressed in shiny gowns and men wearing sleek tuxedos clapping and cheering for me. And I'll have this overwhelming feeling of pride, knowing that every single person in that packed theater paid A LOT of money just to hear me play." She looked back at Sean.

Sean smiled back at her. "What you just told me was a dream every single kid from that fancy music school have probably dreamed about. You may come from a different background, but you all have the same dream." He looked at her seriously. "That only proves that you deserve to be in that school as much as the rest of them." He pushed off his elbows to sit up. "I'm going to be honest with you, Dev."

Devon sensed the concerned tone in his voice.

"My biggest fear is that you're going to run away from Toronto and live on the streets in god-knows-where. I fear that you're going to live the rest of your life thinking how that's the best it's going to be for you." He shook his head. "But it's NOT. Your life CAN be better." He sighed. "You deserve to have a better life."

Devon nodded and remained quiet for a moment for her to soak in everything Sean just said. She got up and walked over to her backpack lying next to the campfire. "YOU deserve to have a better life, too."

Sean watched her as she pulled a letter out of her bag's front pocket. She handed him the letter. He glanced at the handwriting and frowned. It was his mother's handwriting. He looked up at her. "Where did you get this?"

Devon sat down next to him. "All of my mail gets sent to my social worker. He dropped by work today to give that to me." She looked down at the ground. She knew that she was going to say next was going to upset him. "That's the third letter your mom has sent me since I've been here."

Sean looked up surprised. "What?" He crumpled the letter. "Is she seriously sinking so low as to ask my best friend to spy on me?"

Devon shook her head defensively. "Look, she's asked me to write her back to let her know how you're doing, but I PROMISE you that I haven't written her back."

Sean sighed gratefully.

Devon shook her head again. "I didn't write her back, because I think that YOU should be the one to let her know how you're doing." She paused reluctantly. "And I think you should let her know…in person."

Sean smirked. "No way."

Devon picked up the crumpled letter and attempted to flatten it out. "Your parents miss you."

Sean just remained quiet.

Devon took his silence to allow her to continue. "Did you know that your parents have been sober for six months?" She pointed at a few lines in the letter. "Your dad's been promoted, and your mom recently got hired as a secretary for some doctor's office." She looked back at Sean who was avoiding to look at the letter. "Your parents are really getting their lives back together."

"But let me guess…" Sean responded sarcastically. "The only way for their lives to be perfect is if I move back in with them, right?" He shook his head. "No way. My life is fine here in Toronto. Without Tracker…and without them. I'm doing fine on my own."

"Fine," Devon answered back. "Then, tell them that."

Sean just shook his head.

Devon put down the letter. "Look…" She sighed. "Do you know how hard it was to listen to my biological father tell me how he wanted nothing to do with me? It hurt to hear him speak to me the way he did…but in a way…I needed to hear it. A small part of me hoped that he would welcome me with open arms…but a larger part of me knew that he was going to act the way that he did. But I still went to see him, because I had to hear it and see it for myself……….so I can ACCEPT it." She looked up at Sean who was quietly listening to her and taking everything to heart. "And I HAVE accepted it. I've even accepted the fact that my mom chose drugs over me. In some twisted way…I have the advantage of KNOWING how my parents feel about me. I know it…I accept it…and now I can move on from it." She lifted up her hand to rest it on Sean's shoulder. "Sean…you need to go talk to your parents. You haven't spoken to them in years. Go SEE them…so you can move on with your life."

"What do you mean?" he asked defensively. "Haven't I already moved on?"

Devon shook her head. "It looks more like you're avoiding them. Look…are you angry because you hate them? …or are you frustrated because…you miss them, too?"

Sean remained silent. He wasn't going to answer that question.

After a few seconds of silence, Devon finally asked. "You know…you told me your biggest fear……….do you want to hear mine?"

Sean looked at her.

Devon leaned closer. "You've got this amazing opportunity. You're parents actually WANT to be a part of your life. My biggest fear is that you'll live most of your life pushing them away…until one day…you'll decide that you will want them in your life…..and it will be too late." She took a deep breath. "I've decided that I'm going to listen to you. I'm going to go to my social worker tomorrow, and I'm going to see what I can do to get into the Montreal school."

Sean smiled. "You are?"

Devon nodded. "But only on one condition."

Sean shrugged. "Name it."

Devon looked at him seriously. "You have to go to Wasaga Beach and talk to your parents."

Sean looked out into the campfire. It looked like Devon was deciding not to give up on her life and try to make it better. He was willing to do whatever it took to get her to go to that school. …Even if it meant that he had to do something he didn't want to do. He looked back at her. "Fine," he replied. "I'll go."


	34. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Sean slipped off his helmet and exhaled tiredly. He looked up at the run down home in front of him in the middle of the trailer park. It wasn't just any home, though. It was the place he grew up.

Sean smirked to himself. The old dump hadn't change a bit. He was almost reluctant in stepping off his bike. If the outside of his house didn't look any different…maybe the people who lived inside it weren't any different either.

Sean dragged his feet up the porch steps, then knocked lightly on the screen door. He only waited for a split second before he decided to turn around. "Oh well," he thought to himself, "they're not here. At least I tried…"

He thought too soon, because before he made it to the bottom step, the front door opened. "Sean?" A voice called out.

Sean closed his eyes before turning around. He turned around and looked up. "Hey, mom," he mumbled.

His mother swung open the screen door and slightly stepped back. "Come in!" she replied excitedly. It was almost weird inviting her son into his own home.

Sean walked in the house and looked around. Everything looked the same, but "felt" different. The couch was still tattered and the carpet was still rugged.

"Are you thirsty?" his mother asked nervously. She scattered to the refrigerator and grabbed a can of soda.

He sat down at the kitchen table and opened his drink. He looked around the house again and realized what was so different. There weren't any cigarette-filled ash trays on the kitchen table and there weren't empty beer cans thrown on the floor. In fact, his father wasn't sitting in his usual chair passed out in front of the TV. He looked up at his mother. "Where's dad?"

His mom leaned against the kitchen counter. "He's still at work. He doesn't get off for a few hours." She looked over at the empty stove and suddenly became embarassed. "Are you hungry?" she asked. "If I knew you were coming, I would have cooked something for you. On Saturdays, your father and I go eat dinner at that Chinese restaurant down the road when he gets off work." She looked back at Sean. "Why didn't you tell me you were dropping by?"

Sean shrugged quietly and leaned back in his chair. He liked the fact that his parents didn't expect him. A small part of him was hoping that neither of them would be home. He took another sip of his drink.

Mrs. Cameron almost became nervous about her son's unexpected appearance. "Are you in some kind of trouble?"

Sean suddenly became offended. He slammed his can on the kitchen table. Why was she automatically expecting the worse from him? "Of course not," he snapped back.

Mrs. Cameron quickly shook her head apologetically. The last thing she wanted to do was get their conversation started on the wrong foot. "I'm sorry, Sean," she replied quickly. "I didn't mean to—" She stopped herself and pulled a chair across from her son at the kitchen table. "What I meant to ask was…are you doing okay?"

Sean sat up nervously and nodded. "I'm fine…" he answered quickly. He looked up at her coldly. "without you and dad. I think I'm doing okay without the two of you in my life screwing it up."

Mrs. Cameron just stared back at him completely stunned by what he said.

A small part of him felt bad for saying what he said. After saying those words out loud…it almost sounded pretty harsh. He quickly shook his guilt away. He needed to get this all out in the open. He's been wanting to say these things for a long time.

Mrs. Cameron's eyes started to get a little tearful.

That only made Sean feel even worse. "What do you expect me to say, mom?" he asked defensively. "Did you want me to come here with a grin on my face and say: Hey, thanks! Thanks for being drunk losers and ignoring me all the time! Thanks for blowing off all your money on yourselves and your partying and not on your own child! Thanks for shipping me off to Toronto against my will to my older brother's hole-in-the-wall apartment!"

"Hey!" Mrs. Cameron held her hand up defensively to stop Sean from continuing. "I'll admit that your father and I were terrible parents to you. We shouldn't have gotten drunk all the time and ignored you, and we shouldn't have wasted all of our money on cigarettes and alcohol instead of on the bills. I'll admit to those mistakes." She shook her head. "But I NEVER wanted you to be taken away from us!" She replied boldly. "I never wanted you to move away to Toronto!" She lowered her voice to calm herself down. "It was the only option we had at the time that seemed to be the best for you."

Three years ago, when Sean got into a fight and deafened Tyler Bishop in one ear, a police officer escorted Sean home. The police officer was shocked to be bringing Sean to a home that wreaked of alcohol and to two parents that were passed out on the couch at thee o' clock in the afternoon. DSS suddenly became involved and Sean was supposed to be sent to a foster home until his parents were able to clean up their act and provide a suitable environment for a child. Sean's brother was available for Sean to live with instead.

Sean was surprised to actually agree with his mother's last statement. "It WAS the best for me, mom! I made friends with decent kids. I was on the basketball team and was the MVP of the wrestling team. I'm the best student in my shop class, and I'm actually making decent grades in all my other classes. I'm even living on my own." He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "And I was able to do all of that without you and dad in my life."

"I'm glad that you're doing okay, Sean," Mrs. Cameron replied back quietly. It was killing her to hear that her son was living a successful life without her in it. "I'm happy for you."

"Then why do you have to ruin it for me, then?" Sean demanded. "Why are you calling me all the time?" He started to raise his voice again. "Why should you even care about what I'm doing with my life?"

Mrs. Cameron balled up her fist and slammed it to the table. "Because I'm your mother, dammit!" she exclaimed. Her eyes began to water again, but this time, the tears quickly started to stream down her face.

Sean fought hard to stay strong. It was wrong to say the things that he said to her, but he had built up years of resentment towards his parents. In his eyes, his parents deserved this. They didn't deserve to be forgiven so easily.

Mrs. Cameron brought her hand up to her face to wipe the tears away. "I'm your mother…" she repeated in a whisper.

"What is that supposed to mean anyway?" Sean asked angrily. "You're my mother?" He shrugged. "So what? You gave birth to me." He shrugged again. "Big deal. You put a roof over my head and fed me most of the time for a few years, but you didn't RAISE me. You didn't pay attention to me. You didn't CARE about me." He gulped. "I mean…did you even WANT me?" He surprised himself when he asked that question. With all of the things Devon had gone through the past few months with her mom abandoning her and her father completely rejecting her, it made Sean question about his own parents and his own life. Was he even wanted?

Mrs. Cameron lightly gasped. She felt devastated. It took her years to admit out loud that she was terrible parent. It even took a long time to admit that she was an alcoholic. But the hardest thing for her to admit was to see how much she had hurt her son. She had hurt him to the point where he had to question his own existence. "Of course you were wanted," she answered back. "You AND your brother." She pulled her chair a few inches closer to Sean. "Your brother was unexpected, of course. I had him when I was teenager, but your father and I loved him unconditionally." She looked at Sean in the eyes. "But YOU?" She smiled. "When your father and I got married, we PLANNED for another child. We WANTED you."

Suddenly, all of the anger and awkwardness between them slowly started to calm down.

For a short moment, Sean realized how fortunate he was. Devon was right. He had a good life. He was going to a good school, he had good friends…and he had two parents who want to be in his life. "I guess some people aren't so lucky…" he mumbled.

Mrs. Cameron immediately knew who Sean was referring to. "How IS Devon?" she asked. She has been worried about Devon since DSS took custody of her.

"She's good," he answered back. "We've been hanging out again, like old times…" He sighed. "Well…ALMOST like old times…" He looked up at his mom. "Things are different now."

Mrs. Cameron nodded in agreement. "I guess the two of you are growing up into two different people." She raised her eyebrows. "…and maybe even growing apart?"

"We've both changed in our own ways…but not necessarily apart," Sean answered back. "She's still my best friend. Her life is a little complicated right now, and I'm going to do all I can to help her."

Mrs. Cameron sighed. Her son's life sounded like it was so much better for him in Toronto. The last thing she wanted was for Devon to be back in his life to jeopardize what he was building for himself. When Sean was still living in Wasaga Beach, he constantly got into trouble. He always got into fights to protect Devon and he always ended up in detention because of her. "Don't you think…" she paused nervously before continuing. "Don't you think that you should try to let her live her own life and get on with your own?"

Sean looked back at his mother with disgust. What was she implying? To abandon his best friend when she needed him the most? "What's THAT supposed to mean?" he asked defensively.

Mrs. Cameron looked down as she fidgeted her fingers on the kitchen table. "You KNOW that Madison, Devon's mom, is my best friend." She stopped herself. "WAS my best friend," she corrected. "We grew up together, like you and Devon did. She was like a sister to me. She was like family." She exhaled slowly. "Don't tell Devon this…but I saw Madison a few months ago…"

Sean nearly jumped out of his seat. "Where was she?" he asked frantically. "Devon's been looking for her!"

Mrs. Cameron held her hand up to calm her son down. "She was begging on a street corner."

Sean slowly sat back down.

"I almost didn't recognize her," Mrs. Cameron continued. "She lost a lot of weight…" She closed her eyes for a moment to remember the appalling site she saw. Madison was unkept. She had dark circles under her eyes. It hurt Mrs. Cameron to see her best friend in shambles. "She didn't ask me how I was. All she did was beg me for some money." She shook her head. "I asked her if she had any idea how Devon was doing." At the time, Devon was under DSS custody. "She didn't really seem to care what Devon was going through. Her only focus was on that moment…and getting ten dollars." She shook her head again disappointedly, then looked up at Sean. "That's when I knew that the person staring back at me wasn't my best friend anymore. It was like she was a complete stranger."

Sean quietly shifted in his seat. It was strange how he actually understood how his mom felt when she saw Madison. He remembered the time he and Devon argued behind The Dot—the night Devon told him that she was homeless for a few months and never told him. He remembered looking back at her and seeing a complete stranger. He remained quiet. He wasn't about to accept the fact that his situation with Devon was the same as his mother's situation with Madison.

Mrs. Cameron continued. "I begged Madison to let me help her, but she wouldn't have it. I had begged her many times before in the past to get off the drugs and to quick flocking to those loser abusive boyfriends, but every time, she would blow me off, as if my feelings didn't count. The last time I saw her was on that street corner, and I knew that there was nothing I can do or say to change her. And as hurtful as it was…I walked away from her that day. That was the day I decided that I needed to put my own life together." She looked up at Sean again. "And I've been sober ever since. I don't want to end up like Madison. I don't want my addictions to run my life anymore. I wanted my life back." She looked hopefully at Sean. "I want my kids to be in my life." She sighed. "So I let her go," she whispered quietly. She cleared her throat to speak a little more bolder and clearer. "I let my best friend go…and my life has been better ever since."

Sean started to get defensive again. "So you think my life will actually be better if I walk away from Devon?"

"No," Mrs. Cameron corrected him. "your life was ALREADY better when you left her in Wasaga Beach. Just let her go, Sean. Don't let her life bring yours down."

Sean stood up and pushed his seat back. "Devon is NOT Madison, mom," he snapped. "She's not a drug addict or a begger—"

"No, she's not," Mrs. Cameron interrupted. "But she's got a lot of complications attached to her that you shouldn't waste your time getting involved with. It's for your own good!" She stood up as well. "She'll

distract you from your school and she'll take your time away from your friends. She—"

"She's the only reason why I came here today," Sean quickly added.

Mrs. Cameron stopped suddenly. She was confused.

"It was Devon who convinced me to come back here to see you," Sean replied. "She thought that it was for my own good." He shook his head disappointedly. "I guess she was wrong," he muttered under his breath and started to make his way to the front door. "It was wrong for me to come here…"

Mrs. Cameron grabbed Sean's hand. "Wait!" she pleaded. She couldn't let her son walk out of her life again. "I'm sorry!"

Sean turned back around to face his mom.

Mrs. Cameron looked at her son desperately. "Let's stop talking about Devon and Madison. They've got their own issues. We've got our own. So, let's deal with our own issues and nothing else."

Sean crossed his arms. "Fine."

"Why are you REALLY here, Sean?" Mrs. Cameron asked. "You came here because Devon asked you to come, but what did you expect to accomplish when you DID come here. Did you come here just to argue with me?"

"No," Sean muttered.

"Then, what is it? What are you doing here?" When Sean didn't answer right away, she asked, "What is it you want from me?"

"What I want…is for you to be back in my life," Sean answered. He stopped himself for a moment. That was the first thing that popped out of his mouth. Where did THAT come from? What surprised him the most, was that the answer came out of him so naturally. He didn't even have to think about it.

The two of them just stared at each other for a moment. They were both stunned with his answer.

Sean remained silent for a little longer. He wasn't about to take back what he said. What shocked him was the fact that he DIDN'T want to take it back. That only meant that that was what he really wanted. "I just want you and dad to be in my life," he stated again.

Mrs. Cameron's eyes started to become tearful again. That was what she has been wanting to hear from her son for three years now.

"Look…I'm not asking to move back here with you guys," Sean added. "I'm also not here to ask for money from you guys to support me. I'm FINE living on my own. I can take care of myself."

Mrs. Cameron nodded. "I understand."

"I don't expect us to be this happy family all of a sudden or to ask you guys to even be my friends," Sean continued. "For now…I just want you guys to be around and be a part of my life again." He looked up at his mom. "Then, we'll just see where it goes from there."

"I'm willing to do that." Mrs. Cameron nodded again. "It's a deal." She took a small step forward to hug her son, but stopped. Instead, she held out her hand.

Sean looked down towards his mother's hand and was about to shake it. He stopped himself then looked up at his mom. Instead, he quickly took a few steps forward and embraced her.

A small tear of joy rolled down Mrs. Cameron's cheek as she embraced her son back. She gave a long sigh of relief.

Sean quietly let out a sigh of relief also. It felt like that chip he's had on his shoulder for so long had finally gone away.


	35. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Devon nervously sat down in front of her social worker's desk.

Jacob looked up from his paperwork on his desk. "What brings you over here on a Sunday morning, Devon?"

Devon looked back at Jacob curiously. "Actually…I was surprised to see you here! What are YOU doing here on a Sunday?"

Jacob gave a small smile. "I actually had a meeting earlier this morning." He switched the attention back to her. "What can I do for you?"

Devon unfolded her acceptance letter from the Montreal School of Music. "I wanted to talk to you about this school." She slowly exhaled. "I think I want to give it a try."

For a moment, Jacob felt happy for his client that she was deciding to do this, but his heart suddenly sank for her at the same time.

Devon noticed the look on his face. "What's wrong?"

Jacob put his pen down and folded his hands in front of him. "The dean of that school called me Friday afternoon." He sighed and looked down at his desk.

"They've changed their minds?" Devon asked disappointedly.

Jacob looked back up and quickly shook his head. "No, it's not that." He sighed again. "They called to tell me that since we didn't respond back to them…they accepted someone else. There isn't another position available right now."

Devon sat in her seat with her mouth hanging open. She was a day too late. "What am I going to do now?"

"I called the shelter in British Columbia yesterday…"

Devon sat up straight in her chair.

"They're going to have a bed available soon, and I told them to reserve it for you."

Devon gritted her teeth. "So that's where you're going to dump me?"

Jacob shrugged as he straightened up the stack of papers in front of him. "What else was I supposed to do, Devon? I've been waiting for a slot to open for you for a few weeks now!"

Devon leaned forward. "You could have ASKED me first!" she exclaimed. "I told you that I didn't want to go!"

Jacob shook his head. "And I TOLD you that the shelter would be a good placement for you, Devon. We missed the opportunity for you to go to that school in Montreal. I'm not going to miss this opportunity to get you placed into this shelter!"

Devon anxiously started to tap her foot. "When am I supposed to be going?"

"One week."

Devon felt her stomach churn. She crumpled the acceptance letter in front of her and threw it on Jacob's desk. She stood up. "I've gotta go. I'm going to be late for work."

Jacob quickly picked up a file next to him. "But wait, Devon. It looks like there may be another option for you—"

Before Jacob could finish talking, Devon walked out of his office and slammed the door. She leaned against the wall to catch her breath. She dug into her pocket and counted her money. She only had $25. Her hand started to shake when she realized that she already made her decision of what to do. She was going to work her last shift at The Dot today and that was it. She had plans to leave Toronto and run away. And she was going to do it tonight.

Sean's head jolted up off his pillow when he heard a loud pounding at his front door. He rolled over in his bed to look at what time it was. He squinted his eyes and groaned. It was already noon. He had a late night…or in his case, morning. He stayed in Wasaga Beach all day the day before. He waited for his father to come home from work and he had dinner at the Chinese restaurant with his parents. He stayed up late that night talking to his parents. He stayed so late that he decided to sleep in his old room until morning. He got up early that morning and rode back to Toronto. So, there he was lying tiredly in his bed…with some rude maniac pounding at his front door.

He grumpily dragged his feet up the steps that led to his front door. "What the hell--?!" He stopped mid-sentence. He blinked a few times to make sure that the figure standing in front of him was who he thought it was. "…Tracker?"

Tracker was leaning against the doorframe grinning back devilishly. "It's about time!" He brushed past Sean and invited himself into his old apartment. He looked around at the cluttered living room, topped off with an empty pizza box on the living room table. He looked at the bare walls surrounding him. He looked back at Sean. "Haven't you heard of decorations, bro?"

Sean scratched the back of his head and walked up to Tracker. "Did you honestly fly all the way from Alberta to tell me to decorate my apartment?" He looked over at Tracker again. "What ARE you doing here, anyway?"

Tracker plopped onto the couch, stretched his leg out to kick the empty pizza box to the floor, and rested his feet on the living room table. "I heard you took a little road trip over to Wasaga Beach."

Sean looked surprised. How did he know that? He stopped himself. "Let me guess. Devon must have said something to you."

Tracker nodded and stretched his arms back to rest his hands behind his head. "I honestly couldn't believe it! I almost DIDN'T believe it until mom called me on my cell phone on my way over here." He flopped his arms back down next to him and smiled slightly. "She sounded really happy."

Sean sat down on the other side of the couch. "I guess she told you everything that was said."

Tracker nodded again. "I'm proud of you, bro. I'm glad you decided to start talking to the folks again. I have to admit that you've come a long way since you moved here from Wasaga."

"Thanks…I guess," Sean mumbled. "But what exactly are you doing here?" he asked again.

Tracker was about to answer, but he suddenly felt his stomach growl. "I was about to get to that, but I'm starving." He stood up. "I'm not even going to see if anything is in the fridge." He knew it was most likely empty. "Let's grab something to eat first."

Devon looked down to count her money again. She sighed sadly. It was a slow morning, and she was barely making any decent tips. She quickly looked up when she heard laughter from one of her tables. She rolled her eyes. Jimmy, Sully, and Spinner have been sitting in one of her best tables most of the morning. She almost debated on even serving them, but she knew she had no choice. She needed the money.

The table's laughter suddenly turned towards a more serious tone. Jimmy lightly punched his fist on the table. "That practice was a joke!" he gritted through his teeth. Next weekend was the semi-finals. Every weekend, for the past 3 weeks, the basketball team has been practicing in the mornings to prepare. He looked over at Spinner. "Dude, when someone passes you the ball…" he leaned forward. "you CATCH it."

All Spinner could do was shrug his shoulders defensively. "Dude—you were acting as if your were passing a FOOTBALL! That ball was thrown, like, 30 yards!"

Sully shook his head disappointedly. "I don't know about you guys, but the team has just been a little off since Sean left—"

At that time, Devon was approaching their table with another round of beverages. She quietly placed her tray down to distribute the glasses.

Jimmy coldly watched Devon. "Don't say that, Sully. We all knew that Sean's head would never be completely in the game with certain distractions he's had to deal with lately."

Devon stopped briefly to return Jimmy's stare. She wanted so badly to splash his soda in his face. Instead, she slammed his glass down in front of him.

Jimmy finished his comment. He looked straight into Devon's eyes. "We just can't afford to have a reckless player like that going into the semi-finals."

The coldness of the moment was quickly broken when they heard the front door of The Dot swing open. Sean walked through the door. He smiled and nodded towards Devon. He was about to approach her, but he stopped himself when he realized who was sitting at the table next to her. Instead, he walked towards the counter.

Devon picked up her tray to head towards Sean, but she was quickly stopped by the second figure that walked through the door. "Hey, brat!"

Devon's jaw hung open. "…Tracker?"

Tracker held his hands up. "What's it gonna take to get some food in this place? I'm starved."

They both walked towards Sean at the counter as he finished telling the server their order. "Oh, and can you make that to-go please?"

Tracker leaned against the stool behind him. "Hey, man—what's the rush? Why can't we eat here?"

Sean nodded towards Jimmy's table. "Trust me, man. You don't want to eat here right now." He looked back at his brother. "Do you mind waiting for our food? I need to talk to Devon really quick."

Devon washed her hands in the back room, and slightly jumped when she turned around and noticed Sean behind her. She smiled. "So…how IS Wasaga Beach this time of year?"

Sean smiled back. "Mom and dad are doing well." He nodded. "Everything with me and them…went well."

Devon gave a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you went there."

Sean nudged her lightly. "I'm glad you made me go! But, I'll tell you everything that was said later." He quickly wanted to focus everything on her. "So?" he asked anxiously. "What did your social worker say about that school in Montreal?"

Devon's smiled slowly faded and Sean felt his heart sank when he saw the look of disappointment appear on his friend's face. He suddenly realized that her weekend was not as successful as his was.

Devon quickly shook her head when she realized her eyes started to water. "It's fine—" She tried to casually brush past him. "I'll talk to you about it when my shift is over."

Sean heard the shaking in her voice and stopped her. He turned to face her. There was an unusual look to her eyes. "What's going on?"

Devon quickly pulled herself together and waited for her eyes to clear before looking back at Sean. "Sean…I'm leaving town tonight."

"What?!" He couldn't believe it. "…why?"

Devon shook her head. "Do you even need to ask?"

"Dev--that's stupid—"

Devon suddenly became defensive and raised her voice. "It's the only option I have left, Sean!" She crossed her arms. "Do YOU know of any options left for me? Is there anything you can do to help me?"

Sean was speechless. He hated himself for not having the answers for her.

"I didn't think so." Devon became even more disappointed when Sean remained silent. Even her own best friend didn't know what to do for her. She suddenly realized that there really was nothing that could be done.

Tracker quickly stepped into the back room. "Hey, you guys—keep it down! I can hear you both from the front counter." He noticed the flustered look in both of their faces. He pointed at Sean. "You—" He pointed his thumb behind him. "Go to the counter and wait for our food." He walked up to Devon. "As for you…" He grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the back door. "You're going outside to cool off. You look like you're due for a 15 minute break." He looked back towards Sean. "I'll be right back."

"Tracker—what are you doing?" Devon mumbled as he pushed her out the back door.

Tracker let go of her arm. "Hey, stop being so defensive! Believe it or not, I'm actually here to help you." He crossed his arms and leaned against the door. "We need to talk…"

Sean anxiously tapped his fingers on the counter. He looked at his watch and realized that he was waiting for ten minutes. What in the world were Tracker and Devon talking about? Actually…what in the world was Tracker even doing in Toronto to begin with?? He quickly looked up when he heard the back door open. He noticed one of the employees were headed out towards the back to throw a large garbage bag in the dumpster. The employee had his hands full that he was not able to fully close the door.

Sean squinted to look out the half-opened door.

Devon looked at Tracker gratefully. Sean saw her mouth the words "thank you". He winced slightly when he saw them hug. Sean shook his head as if the moment he witnessed was an illusion. For as long as he knew them, Tracker and Devon had never been close. The sight of the two of them sharing a moment that he wasn't a part of made him feel left out.

Tracker and Devon made their way back into the building.

Devon waved at Sean as she walked from the back hallway into the kitchen.

Tracker walked up to Sean and grabbed the bag of food on the counter. "Let's get outta here. I'm starving."

Devon walked out of the kitchen with a tray of food as Sean and Tracker slipped out of the restaurant. She walked passed Spinner and Jimmy's table.

Spinner leaned forward. "What's Sean's brother doing here?"

Jimmy shrugged nonchalantly. "Who cares? Maybe he's here to take him out of Toronto."

Devon stopped dead in her tracks to stare at their table. How can Jimmy say that?

Jimmy casually glanced at Devon briefly to show that he was fully aware that she was listening. "It's not a bad a idea."

Devon quickly placed the tray of food at one of her tables. She walked up to Jimmy and Spinner. "You guys have been sitting here too long. I think it's time for your check." She quickly turned around and walked away. She walked up to the counter and leaned against it to catch her breath. How can these guys hate Sean so much? These guys used to be his teammates and his friends.

What she really wanted to do was scream at that table and tell every single one of them how wrong they are about Sean. She wanted to tell them that it's unfair to see Sean's loyalty to her as a betrayal to them. Instead, she closed her eyes and sighed deeply. What good would that do? She looked down to reach into her apron. She pulled out her tips to count it. It was the only money she had to her name, but she knew that there was only one way to spend it.

10 minutes later, she walked up to Jimmy with a check in one hand and two pizza boxes in the other.

Spinner stared at the pizza. "What's that?"

Devon looked at them seriously. "It's a present to Degrassi's future championship winners."

Jimmy pulled the boxes towards him. "Tell the manager 'thanks' for us."

Devon shook her head. "It's not on the house, boys." She looked down towards her feet. "It's from Sean," she fibbed. "He ordered it when he was here. He wanted me to hand it to you after he left, so it wouldn't be a big deal."

Sully looked puzzled. "Why?"

"He wanted to wish you guys luck, and to let you know that he was sorry that he couldn't play for you in the championship game." She turned around and grinned to herself as she walked away. She didn't even have to look at their faces. The silence from that table alone meant they had "guilt" written all over their faces.

Sean stared at Tracker as he quietly devoured his scrambled eggs. Tracker looked up from his to-go box of food when he realized that his brother wasn't as invested in breakfast as he was. "What?" he asked with his mouth full.

"Quit stalling, Tracker," Sean replied back. As much as he enjoyed sitting across the kitchen table with his brother, he couldn't help but wonder what his true intentions were for being in town. "What are you really doing here?"

Tracker wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve. He knew he couldn't let his plan for being in Toronto completely pass Sean. "I came here because of Devon."

"Is that why you wanted to talk to her privately behind The Dot?" Sean asked. He curiously raised his eyebrows. "What WERE you two talking about?"

Tracker took a sip of his orange juice. "I spoke with her caseworker today." He set his glass down. "I filled out some paperwork to make me eligible to be a foster parent."

Sean was absolutely dumbfounded. "Why?"

Tracker shrugged. "Well, with me living in Alberta, and with Devon under the Department of Social Services in Toronto, there's a lot more legalities that—"

Sean held his hand to interrupt. "That's not what I meant. Why do you want to help Devon all of a sudden?"

Devon and Tracker were never close. In fact, when Sean was growing up, Tracker was never home. He and Devon barely even interacted. They never really spoke to each other until Sean moved to Toronto and Tracker invited Devon to go on camping trips with them every summer.

Tracker sighed. Sean really had no idea. "You've been in the dark long enough. Look…there's something you need to know." He sighed again. He was glad Sean was sitting down for this.

_Four years ago…_

_Devon pedaled her bike as fast as she could as she rode up to the motel parking lot. She practically dropped her bike on the sidewalk as she ran up to room #37. She knocked frantically on the door as she gasped to catch her breath._

_Tracker opened the door and rolled his eyes when he saw who was standing on the other side of it. "What do you want, brat?"_

_Devon brushed past him and invited herself inside. She saw Tracker's nearly packed suitcase on the bed. She turned around to look at him. "So that's it?" she asked. She couldn't believe it. "You're leaving?"_

_Tracker rolled his eyes again. He just left the Department of Social Services to tell Sean's new caseworker that he was not going to allow Sean to live with him in Toronto. A week ago, Sean got in a fight with another kid at school. It turned out that his little brother threw one too many punches, and unfortunately, the other kid permanently lost hearing in one of his ears. The kid's parents sent a police officer to the Cameron residence to discuss the incident with Sean's parents. It was a complete shock to the police officer to see Sean's parents completely drunk at 3:00 in the afternoon. Suddenly, Sean's "quality of life" was in question and he was provided with a caseworker. The caseworker was assigned to find a family counselor for Sean's parents to see and to also make sure his parents went to a detox center and AA meetings for their alcoholism. She also had to assess and provide an appropriate living arrangement that would "optimize" her client's "well-being" until the Camerons were stable enough to care for their son again. Foster care was one option. Care from a close relative was another. That was when Tracker was brought into the middle of this._

"_Look, I already heard the speech of disappointment from Sean's caseworker AND from my parents." He took a quick head-to-toe glance at the little girl in front of him, then smirked. "I'm not going to hear it from a 12-year-old girl." He stopped to correct himself. "Unless, you're here to thank me."_

_Devon stared at him. "What?" she asked in disbelief._

_Tracker walked past her to stuff a pair of jeans in his suitcase. "You're best bud is staying here in Wasaga Beach. He'll be living with foster parents, but at least he'll still be in town. You two can continue on in raising hell together." _

_Devon quickly snatched a handful of clothes from his suitcase and threw them to the floor. _

_Tracker took a step back. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"_

"_You're not leaving here unless you bring Sean with you," she snapped back._

_Tracker leaned against the dresser behind him and crossed his arms. This was definitely something he was not expecting to deal with. "I don't get it. I thought that of all people, you would be thrilled about what I'm doing."_

"_You think that I would be happy for you to turn your back on your own brother?" She shook her head. "What's WRONG with you?"_

"_ME?" Tracker asked defensively. "Look, kid, I'm not the one who deafened someone in one ear. It's not my fault that Sean has a temper. And it's not my fault my parents are hopeless drunks!" He stepped away from the dresser to repack his clothes that were thrown on the floor. "I'm going back to Toronto. I left this dump to get away from my parents' drama."_

"_At least you HAVE that option, Tracker!" Devon replied back. "You didn't want to stay, so you left. Sean isn't old enough to decide that for himself!"_

_Tracker threw his arms up in the air. He wasn't about to let this girl make him feel guilty for being "of-age" to live on his own. "What will I be able to provide for Sean, huh? I live in a crappy apartment in the bad part of town. I've got a job that pays me just enough to pay for my bills every month. A meal that DOESN'T involve Mac and cheese is a luxury I experience maybe twice a month." He shamefully shook his head. "I can barely take care of myself, let alone my little brother." He sighed. "He is better off staying in Wasaga. He'll be with a foster family that will have the resources to provide for him, and he'll still be in the same town with our folks." _

_Devon shook her head. She wasn't about to buy into any of this. She didn't pity Tracker at all. "You need to grow up," she mumbled._

_Tracker tilted his head to the side in disbelief. "What did you just say to me?" He approached Devon. "You're smart mouth is going to get you into a lot of trouble."_

"_You're an ADULT. It's time you acted like one and take responsibility for once in her life!" Devon didn't care that Tracker was only inches from breaking her in two. "You an I both know that your parent s will do what they need to do to get Sean back—but they won't change! They'll go back to their stupid alcoholic lives. Look, you've lived on your own for a while now. Sure, it may not be glamorous, but it beats living with two parents who are too drunk to care for you, right? You are Sean's older brother. He looks up to you. Don't let him down because you're too lazy to step up and be a real man." _

_Tracker just stood there speechless. What can a guy say after being put in his place by a 12-year-old girl?_

"_Sean has a chance to get out of this dump," Devon continued, "but the only thing standing between a better life and going nowhere is YOU! Now, if you can live with yourself knowing that, then maybe you really aren't fit enough to take care of Sean." She felt her heart sank when Tracker didn't say anything back. She turned around to walk away. She felt like she wasted her time. "If you're not going to help him, then I'll find someone who will."_

"_Why do you even care, anyway?" Tracker asked as Devon opened the door. "What's in this for you?"_

Devon stood in the doorway and turned around. "What do you mean what's in it for me? Sean is my best friend." She stared at him. "I would do anything for him if it means he'll have a better life. I guess it was my mistake thinking you would feel the same way. After all, you're only his brother." For a minute, she could have sworn she saw a change in Tracker's eyes. She said what she needed to say, so she walked out, closed the door behind her.

Tracker quietly stood there in his empty hotel room. Devon was the only person looking out for Sean's best interests. Maybe it was time he did the same.

Tracker finished what was left of his breakfast. "So, the rest you know. I called your caseworker, and you were off to Toronto with me."

Sean didn't know what to say. All of these years, he was so angry at his parents because he thought they "dumped" him with his brother. He had felt like yesterday's trash that was left on the curb. All of his feelings of anger and being unwanted…were because of Devon? "Is this why you always invited Devon to go camping with us every summer?"

Tracker nodded. "I definitely felt that I owed it to her. I figured it would be good for you, as well as her, to stay in touch."

Sean still couldn't understand. "Why didn't she want me to know what happened?"

Tracker shrugged. "I guess she didn't think it was important. She figured that it didn't matter WHO got you here. All that mattered to her was that you MADE it here today." He stood up. "Look, you and I both know that I have no clue how to raise a teenage girl…but I'm going to do what I can to help her out." He sighed. "She's done a lot for both me and you. Becoming her legal guardian is the only thing I know I can do to help her."

Sean sat there silently.

"Do you even concept what Devon went through to get you here?" Tracker asked. "People have friends, and if they're lucky, they may have friends they rely on. But someone like Devon?" He shook his head. "There are only a small handful of people in this world who are blessed enough to have a true friend like her in their lives." He smiled. "I guess you're just one of those lucky people."

"Sure," Sean answered back. "…I guess." This was just another secret Devon kept from him.

Tracker observed his brother. He knew Sean felt disappointed. "Look, I know that lately you've been feeling disappointed that you couldn't help Devon out of this bind on your own. She's not looking for a hero, so stop trying to be one. All that matters is that she gets a better life." He pushed his empty plates away from him to rest his arms on top of the table. "Think of it this way. If things were the other way around, where she was in YOUR shoes and you were in hers…what do you think she would do for you?"

Sean nodded, then stood up. "If Devon leaves Toronto, it's not going to be to that shelter. I'll make sure of that."


	36. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Devon wiped down one of her empty tables. Her shift was almost over, and she was trying to get all of her stuff done before Sean came by to pick her up. She looked up and glanced out the window when she saw a car pull into The Dot parking lot.

Devon watched Jay Hogart step out of his Civic and proceeded across the street to the gas station nearby. She quickly shook out of her trance when she realized that she was staring at him. Jay was Sean's best friend here in Toronto, but she had yet to hang out with the guy. Of course there was the "interaction" that took place in front of her locker, but that was hardly considered "hanging out." She couldn't get over what Sean did to Jay. Sean was just letting out some steam, and unfortunately, his best friend just so happened to be standing in the wrong place at the wrong time. Ever since that altercation, the two haven't spoken, or even acknowledged each other.

Devon sighed as she stuffed more napkins into the napkin dispenser. What she wanted to do was go out there and keep Jay from leaving. If he could hang out in the parking lot a little longer, he will most likely run into Sean just as he came by to pick her up. But of course, that wouldn't do any good. All Jay had to do was get into his car and speed off. The only way for him to stay put would be to get his attention and piss him off long enough for him to stay.

Devon paused for a moment, then looked up. She took another peek out the window towards Jay's Civic. It was currently vacant, which only meant that he was still in the gas station.

"Hmmm…" Devon muttered to herself, then the corners of her mouth slid up into a sly grin. She had an idea…

Jay grinned devilishly as he walked out of the gas station with a case of beer. The gas attendant was new, so his fake ID worked like a charm. He proceeded to make his way across the street towards The Dot's parking lot where his Civic was parked. He reluctantly slowed down when he noticed a peculiar figure leaning against his car.

Devon casually slipped her hands into her jean pockets as she leaned against Jay's car door. She flashed a mischievous smile.

Jay didn't see Devon's smile as neither charming or friendly. It was almost threatening. "What do you want?" he asked. Actually, he really meant to ask 'What did you do to my car?'

Devon pushed herself away from the car. She glided her hand down the hood of his Civic. "I was just admiring your car. It's in such great shape."

Jay darted towards his car, then circled around it to see if Devon dented it anywhere. "Well…you can stop doing that now." Devon's demeanor only made Jay nervous. There wasn't a scratch on his car, but somehow, he knew she must have done something.

Devon lifted up her hands defensively to prove that she had no intentions of vandalizing his property. "I come in peace," she replied. "I just want to talk."

Jay didn't reply back. He unlocked his front door and placed the beer on the passenger seat. Maybe if he didn't say anything, she would go away.

"I just want to talk about…" She scrambled in her head to find an interesting subject to stall on. "…street racing."

Jay turned around to look at her. What the hell was she babbling about? He closed the driver's side door. "…What?"

"Street racing!" Devon replied back more confidently. 'Just roll with it,' she thought to herself. 'Sean should be here any minute.' "Your car would be great for street racing."

Jay crossed his arms. He might as well entertain himself. "Really," he replied more in a stated response than a question.

"Uh, yeah! In fact, Sean would be the best person to vamp your car up for racing."

Jay shook his head. How did he not know that this was coming? "Yeah, well, you can forget about that. Sean obviously has other things going on right now." He turned around and opened his car door.

"Jay, I just need a minute. Just to talk about Sean—"

"Look, kid," Jay interrupted. "I don't have time for this. I've got places to go. Besides, Sean's got other friends in Degrassi-- go bug THEM!"

"But if you can just listen!" Devon pleaded, but it was too late. Jay slammed the car door shut. She rolled her eyes. "I don't see why you're not talking to him," she replied loud enough to soak through his closed window. "You guys BECAME friends after getting into a pointless fight. There's no reason to end your friendship because of another one!" She stopped right there. There was no use in trying anymore. She gave a look of disappointment towards Jay's direction, long enough for him to see then turned around to walk away. The second she turned away and her face was out of sight, she quickly grinned to herself. 'Now for plan B…'

Jay turned away and rolled his eyes. All he wanted was for Devon to stop babbling! He fished into his front pocket and pulled out his keys. As he was doing that, he couldn't help but absorb Devon's last comment. He smirked to himself. She was right. He and Sean DID become friends after they got into a fight. In fact, he couldn't even remember what they were fighting about. All he knew was that Sean showed zero evidence of hesitation. Not only did that get Jay's attention, it got his respect right away. Now that it had happened a second time, why SHOULD he be mad at Sean about it? Sean was just being Sean. He quickly shook out of his thoughts. He was annoyed with the fact that he was THINKING.

He slid the key into the ignition and turned it to start his car. He turned his key and was confused when his Civic didn't start. He turned the key again. All he heard was empty clicking. He looked around his dashboard. "What the hell?" he muttered.

He slammed his palms against the steering wheel. That crazy bitch did something to his car! All that babbling was just her way of stalling things. He pulled the latch that popped open his hood. He continued to mutter obscenities about Devon as he peeked into his engine. "What the hell did she do?!"

He was so consumed in his car that he didn't realize that someone pulled up behind him.

Sean rolled into The Dot's parking lot in his motorcycle. He turned off his engine. He stared at Jay. "Is something wrong with your car?"

Jay stood up straight, then turned around. "No, man," he snarled back sarcastically. "I was just taking the time to admire my goods!"

Sean dismounted his motorcycle. "You know…I can take a look at it." It felt a little awkward as he approached Jay. Jay had remnants of the bruises he put on his face from their fight. The closer he walked towards him, the clearer and more evident those bruises became.

Jay gave out an aggravated sigh as he stepped away from his car to allow Sean to look at it. Who ELSE was around to fix his car? He suddenly had this nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach. He almost felt relieved to see Sean.

Sean poked around the engine. He looked at the oil and transmission fluid. No problems. He turned around and looked at Jay. "What is it doing?"

"Nothing!" Jay replied back. "It's not starting!" He walked around Sean and slipped into the driver's seat. He turned his key again. Once again…just the empty clicking.

Sean knew that sound too well. He couldn't help but grin. Was Jay really that clueless? He walked up to the driver's seat and hovered over Jay's shoulder. He reached across and tapped the gas gage. "Your gas tank is bone dry, man! That's all!"

Jay looked up at Sean, then stared at his gas gage. He KNEW that he filled up his tank yesterday. He shook his head and laughed in disbelief. Devon! That conniving little sneak…

Jay got out of his car and opened his trunk to pull out a gas can.

Sean stepped back to watch him. He shamefully looked down at his feet, then looked at Jay. "So…what's up? We haven't talked since…"

Jay brushed past him and started to walk across the street to the gas station. "Yeah…I know…"

Sean turned around to follow him. "Look, I'm sorry, man. I was just letting out some steam that day. You just happened to be--"

Jay turned around. "Cameron, what the hell are you mumbling about?" He pointed at the bruises on his face. "It's just a couple of scratches. I'm over it." He was tired of trying to figure out what was up with Sean. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he just wanted to get past everything and get back to hanging out with his friend again. He was certainly in no mood for the two of them to "work things out" and tell each other their "feelings". He wasn't into any of that mushy stuff. As odd as it was, he really wasn't mad at Sean for what happened. He was a little confused, but not angry.

Jay didn't know whether to strangle Devon or applaud her. This whole set up was to get him to talk to Sean again…and it worked.

Sean stopped mid-sentence. "Really?" No explanations? No apologies?

"Look, I'm over it, alright? Whatever is going on with you is your business. If you don't want to tell me, then fine," Jay replied back lackadaisically. "Just…don't pound my face in the next time you have a problem."

Sean smiled back. "Okay," was all he could say.

Jay gave a sigh of relief. There. That wasn't so bad. "Look, I bought some beer earlier, because there's a get-together at the ravine tonight." He shifted the gas can from one hand to the other. "You can come if you want."

Sean was still a little confused with what just happened. "Sure."

Jay turned around. "Oh…and you can bring your friend Devon, too," he called over his shoulder. The trick Devon just pulled over him was almost masterful. Anyone capable of doing THAT had to be someone worth getting to know. After thinking about it, Devon seemed to remind him a lot like Sean. They had the same mannerisms and same I-don't-care attitude. She also showed him zero hesitation in fighting with him when they were in front of her locker. It almost pained him to admit that he just developed an ounce of respect towards that girl.

Sean just stood in the middle of the street dumbfounded. What just happened? He turned around and started to walk towards The Dot to get Devon. He noticed Devon peeking through the window. He didn't know why…but he had this odd feeling that Devon had something to do with whatever just happened.

Devon quickly turned away from the window when Sean realized she was watching. By the smile on his face, she knew that her plan had worked. She scratched her head. There wasn't much "talking" between Jay and Sean. They exchanged a couple words here and there to each other and made up. "Guys," she muttered to herself. The best way to get two guys talking to each other again was to force them to confront each other…so they can AVOID talking through their problems and feelings and become friends again anyway. She shook her head. What ever works, right?


End file.
